Sinclair will preempt Jimmy Kimmel's show despite Disney ending its suspension
Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Monday that it would preempt ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" when it returns Tuesday night.
"Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return," the company’s statement read.
Sinclair, which operates 30 ABC affiliates, previously joined Nexstar, another owner of ABC affiliates, in preempting Kimmel’s show last week after he made controversial comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin.
"Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country," Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith said in a statement.
At the time, Sinclair said that it would not lift its suspension until after discussions with ABC.
"Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk family and Turning Point USA," the company stated. "Regardless of ABC’s plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."
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Kimmel's late-night show was pulled off the air entirely last Wednesday after Kimmel's remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage and a veiled threat from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Disney decided to suspend the show after Sinclair and Nexstar pulled its airings of Kimmel, and Kimmel reportedly had told executives he would not apologize for his comments.
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Disney reversed course on Monday and announced that Kimmel’s show would return in a statement Monday.
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"Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday," a Disney spokesperson told Fox News Digital.