Sinclair Stands Firm: Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Won’t Air on Its Stations Tomorrow

Sinclair Broadcast Group says it will not bring Jimmy Kimmel Live! back to its ABC stations on Tuesday, even though Disney is putting the late-night show back on the air.

On Monday, the company announced on X that it will replace Kimmel’s program with news content for now. “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 post said.

Disney had suspended the show last week after Kimmel’s remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk caused uproar.

During his monologue, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”

The statement drew sharp criticism. FCC chairman Brendan Carr described Kimmel’s words as “some of the sickest conduct possible” and told ABC to take action. He later insisted he was not threatening to pull licenses from ABC stations.

Station groups reacted quickly. Nexstar said it would not show the program. Sinclair went further, demanding that Kimmel apologize directly to Kirk’s family and give money to Turning Point USA, the conservative group co-founded by Kirk. Sinclair’s Vice Chairman Jason Smith said, “Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country.”

Disney explained its suspension in a statement: “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.”

According to The Post, Kimmel worked directly with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden on the terms of his return. Sources said he will speak about his comments during Tuesday’s broadcast but will not offer an apology.

The pause on Kimmel’s show sparked wide debate. Celebrities like Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep criticized what they saw as government interference in free speech. Others, such as She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany and Rosie O’Donnell, called on viewers to cancel Disney subscriptions.

Kimmel also received strong backing from fellow late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, along with former hosts David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jay Leno.

Even Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who chairs the committee that oversees the FCC, spoke up. He argued that if government pressure silences one side now, it could be used against conservatives in the future.

Despite Disney’s decision to move forward with the show, Sinclair says it will keep blocking Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its stations until further notice.

This clash shows how entertainment, politics, and business can collide in a way that affects what people see on their screens. Whether someone agrees with Kimmel or not, networks pulling shows under political pressure raises tough questions about free speech. What do you think — was Sinclair right to hold its ground, or should the show air nationwide as Disney intended? Share your thoughts in the comments.