Nexstar and Sinclair bring Jimmy Kimmel’s show back on local TV stations, ending boycotts

Sinclair Broadcast Group ends its suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, restoring it to dozens of ABC affiliates nationwide.

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – Nexstar Media Group joined Sinclair Broadcast Group in bringing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back to its local TV stations on Friday, restoring the late-night talk show to the full slate of ABC affiliates across the U.S. The companies suspended the program over the comedian’s comments related the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The move means “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to local TV on Nexstar’s ABC affiliates in 28 cities, along with the 38 stations where Sinclair agreed to restore the show.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) – Sinclair Broadcast Group is bringing Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show back to its ABC affiliate stations on Friday night, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S. over remarks the comedian made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

That means “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to Sinclair’s local TV markets, including Macon, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. But blackouts may continue in other parts of the country. Nexstar, another media company that has preempted Kimmel’s show on its ABC affiliates, has yet to announce a similar return.

Disney-owned ABC suspended Kimmel on Sept. 17, following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission. Sinclair also condemned the host – confirming that it would stop airing the show the same day.

The Maryland-based broadcast giant, which is known for conservative political content, called on Kimmel at the time to apologize to Kirk’s family – and taking it a step further, asked him to “make a meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit that Kirk founded.

On the day Kirk was killed, Kimmel shared a message of support for Kirk’s family and other victims of gun violence on social media, which he reiterated during his Tuesday return to ABC. He had also called the conservative activist’s assassination a “senseless murder” prior to being taken off air.

Kimmel’s original comments didn’t otherwise focus on Kirk. He instead lambasted President Donald Trump and his administration’s response to the killing. The comedian did not apologize on Tuesday, but did say “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” and acknowledged that to some, his comments “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”

He also used a blend of humor and pointed messages to emphasize the importance of free speech.

Even after Disney brought Kimmel back to its national airways, both Sinclair and Nexstar continued to preempt the show. Nexstar did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from The Associated Press following Sinclair’s decision to end its blackout.

New episodes of the show air Monday through Thursday. Friday night’s rerun will be of Tuesday’s show – so viewers of Sinclair stations can see Kimmel’s emotional return to the air.

In its statement Friday, Sinclair pointed to its “responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”

The company, which operates 38 ABC-affiliated stations, added that it had received “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” and noticed “troubling acts of violence,” referencing the shooting into the lobby of a Sacramento station.

“These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important,” Sinclair added.

As a result of Sinclair and Nexstar’s boycott, viewers in cities representing roughly a quarter of ABC’s local TV affiliates had been left without the late-night program on local TV. The blackouts escalated nationwide uproar around First Amendment protections – particularly as the Trump administration and other conservatives police speech after Kirk’s killing. They also cast a spotlight on political influence in the media landscape, with critics lambasting companies that they accuse of censoring content.

Ahead of his suspension, Kimmel took aim at the president and his “MAGA gang” of supporters for their response to Kirk’s killing, which Kimmel said included “finger-pointing” and attempts to characterize the alleged shooter as “anything other than one of them.”

These remarks angered many supporters of Kirk – as well as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who accused Kimmel of appearing to “directly mislead the American public” with his remarks about the man accused of the killing. Ahead of Kimmel’s suspension, Carr warned that Disney and ABC’s local affiliates could face repercussions if the comedian was not punished.

He later applauded Sinclair, as well as Nexstar, for their decisions to preempt the show.

On Sept. 17, Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith called Kimmel’s comments “inappropriate and deeply insensitive” and said that ABC’s suspension wasn’t enough. Smith added that Sinclair appreciated Carr’s comments – and called for “immediate regulatory action” from the FCC “to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”

Still, in Friday’s announcement, Sinclair maintained that its decision to preempt Kimmel’s show was “independent of any government interaction or influence,” Sinclair’s statement Friday read, adding that broadcasters had the right to exercise their own judgment.

While local TV affiliates broadcast their own programming, such as local news, they also contract with larger national broadcasters – and pay them to air their national content, splitting advertising revenue and fees from cable companies.

Sinclair said “constructive” discussions with ABC were ongoing, and said its proposals to the network to strengthen accountability, feedback and dialogue and appoint an ombudsman had not yet been adopted.

Representatives for ABC declined to comment on Friday.

Matthew Dolgin, senior equity analyst at research firm Morningstar, said he wasn’t surprised by Sinclair’s decision.

“The relationship with Disney is far too important for these firms to risk,” Dolgin said. And setting aside legal rights from either side, he added, “Disney would’ve been free to take its affiliate agreements elsewhere in 2026 if these relationships were too difficult. That scenario would be devastating to Nexstar and Sinclair.”

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AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles and AP Business Writer Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.