Sinclair ends blackout of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, show returns Friday for local Seattle broadcasts

The Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it will bring back the airing of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its ABC affiliate broadcast stations, starting Friday.

“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair stated in a press release. “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.”

When late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night after a near-week-long suspension for most people across the nation, Sinclair decided not to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on any of its 38 ABC affiliates, including Seattle’s KOMO-TV.

ABC initially suspended Kimmel indefinitely after comments he made about Kirk, who was killed Sept. 10, in a monologue. Kimmel said “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Kimmel addressed not being aired on Sinclair-operated broadcasts in his opening monologue.

“We are still on the air in most of the country, except, ironically, from Washington, D.C., where we have been preempted,” Kimmel said during Tuesday’s monologue. “After almost 23 years on the air, we’re suddenly not being broadcast in 20% of the country, which is not a situation we relish.”

In response to his indefinite suspension, hundreds of people in the entertainment industry signed a letter circulated by the American Civil Liberties Union, calling ABC’s move “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said that Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), acted like “a mafioso,” according to The Associated Press.

“Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” Sinclair said in the Friday statement. “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.”

Kimmel has hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer. He is also well known as a presenter, having hosted the Academy Awards four times.

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