Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Friday it will allow “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to air on its ABC affiliates, ending a week-long blackout of the late-night show.
The decision, effective Friday evening, follows Disney’s reinstatement of the program earlier this week after Kimmel served a four-day suspension over remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer and President Trump’s supporters.
Sinclair had thus far refused to reinstate Kimmel unless the host offered up an apology to the Kirk family as well as a donation to the slain activist’s student organization, Turning Point USA.
A source familiar with the situation told The Post that Disney made no editorial or content concessions to Sinclair.
“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” Sinclair said in a statement.
The company, which owns about 40 ABC affiliates nationwide including in Washington, DC, cited viewer and advertiser feedback, as well as “troubling acts of violence,” including a recent shooting at an ABC station in Sacramento, as reasons for reassessing its stance.
“These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important,” the company said.
The broadcaster stressed that its initial decision to preempt Kimmel “was independent of any government interaction or influence.”
“Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations,” Sinclair said.
“While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”
Nexstar Media Group, which also pulled the show from its 30 ABC affiliates, has not said whether it will follow Sinclair in restoring Kimmel.
Sinclair concluded its statement by reaffirming its mission to serve local communities with content “that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue.”
The Post has sought comment from Disney and Nexstar.
Media insiders told The Post earlier this week that they expected the impasse to be resolved given the enormous leverage that ABC parent company wields over Sinclair and Nexstar.
Sources with knowledge of the situation say Iger may use Disney’s affiliate agreements — and even withhold programming like ratings juggernaut “Monday Night Football” — to force compliance.
“This is coming to an end — sooner rather than later,” said one veteran media executive with knowledge of the matter.
“Iger knows the advertising pressure he’s going to face if Nexstar and Sinclair don’t bring back Kimmel, which means he will pull out all the stops to get Kimmel back on air.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group are two of the largest US TV broadcasters, each owning nearly 200 stations that reach the majority of American households.
Because their acquisitions push them close to or above federal limits on national audience reach, any major merger or deal requires approval from the federal government.
Earlier this year, Nexstar proposed a $6.2 billion takeover of Tegna that would make it the nation’s largest broadcaster, pushing its reach to more than 80% of US TV households.
Sinclair, meanwhile, is also eyeing new acquisitions and lobbying for relaxed ownership limits to allow larger mergers.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr blasted Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer as “some of the sickest conduct possible,” while denying he threatened ABC’s licenses.
Carr warned that broadcasters could face FCC scrutiny over “news distortion” complaints but later clarified his podcast remarks were not an official threat.
Though he insisted Kimmel’s suspension stemmed from ratings, not government action, Carr’s statements fueled pressure on affiliates like Sinclair and Nexstar, which cited regulatory concerns in pulling the show.
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