Posted on 09/26/2025 11:30:43 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
Sinclair has agreed to stop preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, allowing the show to resume airing on its ABC affiliates.
Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show was indefinitely suspended by ABC after comments the comedian made about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged with the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” said Kimmel on the Sept. 15 episode.
President Donald Trump and other Republicans lauded the suspension while Kimmel’s supporters denounced it as censorship, since it came in the aftermath of vociferous criticism from the president and comments from his Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr that his agency “can do this the easy way or the hard way” if companies don’t “find ways to change conduct and take action.”
On Monday, Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be returning on Tuesday, after “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy” about comments that “were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” but Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would not be airing Kimmel’s show on the dozens of local ABC affiliates that they own.
Kimmel’s first show back after his suspension drew 6.3 million viewers — even with 23% of American households not being able to watch on ABC because of the preemption by Nexstar and Sinclair — plus over 25 million views online.
The news that Sinclair was ending its preemption was reported by CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter, who noted that the company was “admitting it didn’t get what it wanted from Disney.”
This just in: "Sinclair today announced that it will end its preemption of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the show will return this evening on Sinclair’s ABC affiliates."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 26, 2025
Here's the full statement from Sinclair, admitting it didn't get what it wanted from Disney >>
"Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience. We take seriously our responsibility as local…
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 26, 2025
The statement read in full:
Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience. We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.
Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives. We have also witnessed troubling acts of violence, including the despicable incident of a shooting at an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento. These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important.
In our ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman. These proposals were suggested as collaborative efforts between the ABC affiliates and the ABC network. While ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their right to make those decisions under our network affiliate agreements, we believe such measures could strengthen trust and accountability.
Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.
As a company rooted in local stations, Sinclair remains committed to serving our communities with programming that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue. We look forward to continuing to work with ABC to deliver content that serves a broad spectrum of our communities.
Maybe it was always a ratings stunt.
They thought Kirk’s assassination could pump some “life” into “Jimmy Kimmel - Live?”.
That's ridiculous. Why peddle DNC talking points here? That is not why he was taken off the air. He used his platform to tell outrageous lies about a murder. If any of us used our platforms with our employers to do something like that, our employers would be well within their right to terminate us.
I agree with that.
But when you use the airwaves to spread vicious lies relative to a brutal, politically motivated assassination, that’s crossing a line.
Plus, Jimmy is losing money for the network and has been for a long time. It’s sad that Sinclair is allowing the wokies to intimidate them into make bad business decisions.
Let Kimmel continue to dig the hole he made for himself. He’s the one who held the gun to his own head and fired the shot. He’ll do it again. He can’t help himself.
These two companies own small market ABC stations. Yawn. Money talks and they are responsible to shareholders.
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