JUST IN: ABC Stations Announce They Will Be Bringing Back Jimmy Kimmel

After weeks of turmoil, ABC stations announced Friday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will officially return to affiliate airwaves, ending a standoff in broadcasting. The move comes after Sinclair Broadcast Group released a statement confirming it will lift its preemption of the late-night program and allow the show back on its ABC affiliates starting tonight.

Nexstar, another major affiliate group that had joined Sinclair in pulling the program, is expected to follow suit. The controversy traces back to September 15, when host Jimmy Kimmel addressed the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk during his opening monologue.

Instead of focusing on the tragedy, Kimmel criticized what he called “the MAGA gang” for “recasting” the shooter and accused conservatives of politicizing the murder. Many saw his comments as assigning political blame before all the facts were known.

The backlash was immediate. Many accused Kimmel of inflaming tensions and disrespecting a grieving conservative movement.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly blasted the remarks, warning they were “misleading” and even suggesting possible regulatory action against ABC and its affiliates if corrective steps weren’t taken. The uproar forced ABC, which is owned by Disney, to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! “indefinitely” on September 16.

Within hours, major ABC affiliates like Sinclair and Nexstar went further, announcing they would not air the program until Kimmel issued a public apology and made amends — including, in some reports, calls for a donation to Turning Point USA, the group founded by Kirk. For nearly a week, the show went dark on most ABC stations.

Viewers in key markets were left with replacement programming, while advertisers scrambled to adjust. Disney and ABC eventually announced on September 22 that the show would return the following day, September 23.

Kimmel reappeared on air with an emotional monologue, saying he never intended to make light of Kirk’s murder and defending his right to free speech. But even after his return, many ABC affiliates — particularly Sinclair and Nexstar — refused to carry the program, extending the blackout in dozens of local markets.

Now, Sinclair says it is ready to move forward.

In its statement Friday, the company stressed that its initial decision was about accountability and responsibility, not politics. Sinclair noted it had received strong feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders, and pointed to “troubling acts of violence” around the controversy — including a reported shooting at an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento.

“To ensure programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience, we took seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters,” the statement read. Sinclair said it had proposed new measures in discussions with ABC to improve accountability and viewer trust, including an independent ombudsman. While Disney and ABC have not yet adopted those proposals, Sinclair argued the dialogue itself was constructive.

The company insisted the preemption decision was made “independent of any government interaction or influence” and emphasized that free speech allows affiliates to make such programming calls.

“Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience,” the statement read. “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.”

“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,” the statement finished.

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