Local TV conglomerate Sinclair Broadcast Group said its ABC-affiliate stations will start airing Jimmy Kimmy Live! again on Friday night, ending its preempting of the show.
Sinclair, along with fellow station owner Nexstar Media Group, continued to preempt Kimmel’s late-night talkshow even after ABC had put Kimmel back on air.
Together, Sinclair and Nexstar’s preemption of the show left about 25% of TV viewers in the US unable to watch it, with the two companies owning 70 ABC-affiliate stations combined.
The two companies are the largest owners of local TV stations in the country. Sinclair currently owns more than 185 TV stations across 85 markets, while Nexstar owns 200 stations across 116 markets.
In a statement, Sinclair said it received “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives”.
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” the firm said.
The company said that it had “ongoing and constructive discussions” with ABC where Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability and viewer feedback, including having a “network-wide independent ombudsman”. ABC and Disney have not agreed to the measures, and Sinclair noted that it “respects their right to make those decisions under network affiliate agreements”.
The announcement leaves Nexstar as the only TV station owner still preempting the show.
Much of the Kimmel controversy started when Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened regulatory blowback to broadcasters if Kimmel’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing were not addressed.
Nexstar is seeking FCC approval for a merger with Tegna, another owner of local TV stations. The merger would require the FCC to change limits on the percentage of the national audience that it reaches, which essentially caps the number of TV stations a single company can own.
Nexstar was the first to announce it would preempt Kimmel’s show, followed by Sinclair. Shortly after, ABC announced it would pause production of Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” – a hiatus that lasted almost a week, and prompted widespread criticism.
On Truth Social, Donald Trump praised ABC for taking Kimmel off the air, saying it had “the courage to do what had to be done”, before criticizing the company for reversing the decision.
“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do,” Trump wrote on Tuesday. “Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars,” he said, referring to Disney’s controversial payment to Trump to settle a defamation lawsuit in December.
After ABC announced Kimmel would come back Tuesday, Nexstar said in a statement that it would continue to evaluate the status of the show.
“We are engaged in productive discussions with executives of the Walt Disney Company, with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve,” it said.
In recent days, Sinclair has stressed that its decision to continue preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! “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,” the company said, adding that it “is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding broadcasters air specific content.”
Sinclair has a history of being influential in boosting the conservative movement in recent years, including requiring local TV news anchors to read a script about “fake news” and “one-sided news stories plaguing our country”, elevating claims that Trump was making at the time during his first presidency.