Sinclair Broadcast Group has announced that it will be discontinuing the airing of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its ABC affiliate channels, despite Disney’s decision to reinstate the late-night talk show starting Tuesday.
“Starting Tuesday night, Sinclair will replace ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ with news programming on all of our ABC affiliates,” the company, which operates the largest number of ABC affiliate stations in the nation, announced via X on Monday.
“We are currently in discussions with ABC to assess the possibility of the show’s return,” Sinclair remarked in its announcement.
Kimmel, whose program was taken off air due to his controversial remarks concerning controversial activist Charlie Kirk, has negotiated his return with Disney executives Bob Iger and Dana Walden, insiders told The Post.
As the late-night host—who earns $15 million annually—returns on Tuesday, he is expected to address his previous comments during his monologue, although he will skip an outright apology for his assertion that Kirk’s alleged murderer was affiliated with the “MAGA gang,” sources indicated.
Disney’s statement on Monday clarified that Kimmel was suspended the previous Wednesday “to mitigate further tensions during a sensitive time for the nation,” labeling some of his remarks “ill-timed and insensitive.”
Previously, Sinclair called upon Kimmel to extend a “direct apology” to the Kirk family and contribute to Turning Point USA, the conservative organization co-founded by Kirk.
“His comments were inappropriate and thoroughly insensitive at a vital time for our nation,” stated Vice Chairman Jason Smith following Kimmel’s removal last week.
It remains uncertain if Nexstar, which operates 32 ABC affiliates, will follow Sinclair’s lead in preempting the late-night program.
The combined affiliate stations of Sinclair and Nexstar cover about a quarter of ABC’s household reach, according to Deadline.
Sinclair also owns WJLA-TV, a key ABC affiliate station located in Washington, D.C.
