Well, that didn’t take long. It looks like the Sinclair Broadcast Group has made its final decision about whether to continue airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the host’s disgusting lie about Charlie Kirk’s assassin got him put in “time out” for a week (Charlie’s gone forever, just as a reminder).
You’re not gonna like it. Sinclair announced that it will no longer preempt Kimmel’s show on its many ABC affiliates across the country starting on Friday night. In a statement shared on X, the media group 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,” the statement 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.”
“Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” it added. “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,” the statement went on. “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.”
The company also made it crystal clear that yanking Kimmel off the air across 40 of its affiliates after he lied about Charlie Kirk’s murder had nothing to do with pressure from the government.
Nexstar — the other major broadcaster that yanked Kimmel’s show after his lies about Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer — is still playing coy, with no public word on whether they’ll keep standing firm or cave like Sinclair. At first, it was just Nexstar and Sinclair showing backbone, announcing Kimmel’s late-night slot was “indefinitely” suspended. Even ABC followed suit.
But just days later? ABC folded, promising Kimmel would be back on Tuesday. And now Sinclair has shamefully followed, both letting him slide back on air without so much as a real apology for the lies he spewed. Disappointing? Absolutely. Surprising? Sadly, not in the least.
