Sinclair Broadcast Group said it will not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its ABC affiliates, even as Disney moves to bring the late-night program back on Tuesday.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” Sinclair, which has the nation’s largest number of the network’s affiliate stations, posted on X on Monday. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the group added.
Kimmel, whose show was suspended over controversial remarks about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, negotiated his return with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, sources told the New York Post. Kimmel, who earns about $15 million annually, is expected to address the comments in his Tuesday night monologue but will not apologize, the sources said.
In a statement Monday, Disney said it suspended Kimmel last week “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” describing some of his remarks as “ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
Sinclair, which had urged Kimmel to apologize directly to the Kirk family and donate to Turning Point USA, has said it will not air the program on its ABC affiliates, the New York Post added. “Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” vice chairman Jason Smith said in a statement after Kimmel’s axing last week.
Nexstar, which has 32 ABC affiliates, also vowed last week to pull Kimmel from its stations. It’s not clear if Nexstar will follow Sinclair’s lead and keep Kimmel off their stations. Together, the two companies comprise about one-quarter of all ABC affiliates nationwide.
