Sinclair says it will begin airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its TV stations again after Charlie Kirk comments fiasco
TV station Sinclair has announced it will once again begin airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! after refusing to air the program on its ABC affiliates for more than a week.
The Maryland-based broadcaster announced the decision in a statement.
The show will air on all of Sinclair’s 38 ABC affiliates Friday night, the company said.
Kimmel’s show was pulled from all of ABC’s airwaves on September 17 following his controversial comments about the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk.
Disney made the decision to ‘return’ the show on Monday.
The announcement from Sinclair leaves Nexstar – another broadcasting group with a total of 32 ABC affiliates – the only holdout not taking part in Kimmel’s TV return.
The comic took to the stage Tuesday to criticize Donald Trump for calling for his ouster.
The episode drew more than 6 million sets of eyes despite being unavailable for roughly a quarter of ABC affiliates across the country. The network has more than 230 local-level television stations in total.
Kimmel’s show will begin airing on Sinclair’s 38 ABC affiliates Friday night, Maryland-based broadcaster Sinclair announced
Disney made the decision to ‘return’ the show on Monday, following a four-day suspension
Sinclair said in its statement: ‘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.
‘Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence.
‘Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgement 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.’
The company previously demanded an apology from Kimmel, along with ‘a meaningful personal donation’ to the Kirk family and his company Turning Point USA.
Kimmel is seen here before the taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday – his first show following a four-episode suspension
The company previously demanded an apology from Kimmel, along with ‘a meaningful personal donation’ to the Kirk family and the late activist’s company Turning Point USA. Pictured, Kirk, who was killed earlier this month at 31, and his wife Erika
Typically, Kimmel gets about 1.8 million viewers each night on television. The numbers released by ABC do not include viewership from streaming services.
The network also noted that Kimmel’s emotional, 20-minute monologue has been viewed over 25 million times on social media.
The over 15 million views the monologue has gotten on YouTube are a record for the program.
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