The stand-off between Disney’s ABC and local TV station owner Sinclair about Jimmy Kimmel is over — for now.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to ABC affiliate stations controlled by Sinclair on Friday night after just over a week, the company said on Friday afternoon.
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair said. “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.”
Sinclair and fellow broadcast giant Nexstar, which together own about a quarter of ABC stations, had refused to air Kimmel’s show after the late-night host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer, which were denounced by FCC chair Brendan Carr.
ABC temporarily suspended the show nationally last week, but brought it back on Tuesday night.
Nexstar hasn’t yet lifted its suspension on Kimmel’s show.
The stand-off over Kimmel has showcased the complicated relationship between ABC and its affiliates, which air the network’s programming under contract. Both Sinclair and Nexstar have conservative-leaning owners and affiliate stations across the US, including substantial presences in red states where viewers might react negatively to left-leaning late-night hosts. As the affiliate landscape has consolidated, companies like Sinclair and Nexstar have flexed their increased power.
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While Kimmel didn’t directly apologize for his remarks, he did express remorse in an emotional monologue on his first night back.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
Sinclair had previously made a list of demands for the late-night host, including an apology by Kimmel to Kirk’s family and a “meaningful” donation to Turning Point USA, the conservative nonprofit that Kirk founded and ran until his death. Sinclair did not indicate in its statement that those terms had been met.
Sinclair said on Friday that it’d had “ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC” after receiving “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives.”
The broadcaster said it had proposed measures “to strengthen accountability,” including implementing an independent ombudsman, like CBS News did.
“ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures,” Sinclair added.
Disney-owned ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” last week drew backlash from both sides of the political aisle. Critics saw the Mouse House’s decision to bench Kimmel as capitulation to government pressure, and to broadcasters who need the FCC’s favor to approve future deals.
Pro-Kimmel protesters gathered at Disney’s Los Angeles campus, hundreds of Hollywood creatives signed a petition to bring the show back, and fans vowed to cancel their Disney streaming services in response. Even former Disney CEO Michael Eisner got into the mix.
Disney risked alienating its affiliate partners Sinclair and Nexstar by bringing Kimmel back on Tuesday. However, Sinclair’s decision to restore the show suggests that CEO Bob Iger and Disney made the right call by listening to the crowd.
Here was Sinclair’s full statement:
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.
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.