Sinclair Broadcast Group to Skip “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Airing

Sinclair Broadcast Group has declared that it will not be airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” This comes in light of Disney’s plan to reclaim late-night talk shows starting Tuesday from ABC’s affiliate stations.

According to a statement made on Monday, Sinclair plans to replace “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with news programming across its ABC affiliate stations. Notably, Sinclair operates the largest number of such stations in its network.

Discussions regarding the show’s future potential are ongoing, as Sinclair evaluates its options. The decision follows some controversial remarks made by Kimmel about the murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The late-night host had reportedly struck a deal with Disney’s CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden regarding his comments.

Kimmel, who is paid $15 million per year for the show, is expected to address his previous remarks in an upcoming monologue this Tuesday. However, he has indicated he will not apologize for suggesting that Kirk’s alleged murderer was part of a certain group, which has stirred significant backlash.

In light of Kimmel’s comments, Disney released a statement indicating that Kimmel was advised to avoid further inflammatory dialogue during a sensitive period for the country.

Previously, Sinclair had encouraged talk show hosts to issue a public apology to Kirk’s family and contribute to Turning Point USA, a conservative organization co-founded by Kirk. The Vice-Chairman of Sinclair, Jason Smith, characterized Kimmel’s comments as “inappropriate and deeply insensitive” given the current national climate.

It’s still uncertain if Nexstar, with its 32 ABC affiliates, will take similar actions to preempt the late-night talk show.

Together, Sinclair and Nexstar’s affiliate stations account for a quarter of ABC’s total reach to households, showcasing their significant influence within the network.