Seattle Mayoral candidate Katie Wilson to pull out of KOMO-TV debate if Kimmel not put back on air

Seattle Mayoral candidate Katie Wilson is calling on Sinclair Broadcast Group to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s show on KOMO-TV.

On Thursday, Wilson announced in front of KOMO Plaza—which houses the studios of KOMO-TV—that she will not participate in the October 8 debate at Seattle University, co-hosted by KOMO, unless Sinclair reverses its decision to pull Kimmel’s program from its stations.

She emphasized that her issue is with Sinclair, not KOMO’s local journalists, and accused the company of caving to pressure from the Trump administration. Wilson said she hopes public pressure—including protests and support from Sen. Maria Cantwell—will lead to Kimmel’s reinstatement.

“I just think we’re in a moment when we have to stand up,” Wilson said. “And we all have an obligation not to let this creeping authoritarianism invade every aspect of our lives.”

Katie Wilson calls on Bruce Harrell to do the same

Wilson called on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to take similar action.

“This is, you know, a small move, but it is one way of resisting and one way of challenging people who have more power, such as Sinclair, to do the right thing,” she said.

Harrell responded with a statement to KIRO Newsradio.

“I have called for Sinclair to restore Kimmel to the air at KOMO and their other ABC affiliates,” Harrell wrote. “Neither the President, FCC, or a corporation should dictate the content available to our city and people. Standing up for the First Amendment cannot be situational or opportunistic, as it is for Katie Wilson. My opponent happily provided an interview to KOMO this week prior to Kimmel returning to the air. Hypocritically, in May, she advocated for denying free speech permits protected under the First Amendment.”

Authentic civil rights leaders stand firm and demand change—not flip-flop for political gain. We still have two weeks to keep up the pressure on Sinclair and their advertisers. I’ll continue exploring effective options in partnership with Seattle’s Federal leaders—who have endorsed my campaign—to restore programming not only in our city, but throughout the nation,” he continued.

KIRO Newsradio has also reached out to Sinclair for comment.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

Follow @FrankLenziKIRO