Jimmy Kimmel's return to the small screen following Disney's decision to put his late-night show on pause has hit a roadblock, after the Sinclair Broadcast Group shared its plans to keep him off the air. The company, which runs Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 38 ABC stations across the US (including Washington D.C.), has opted to replace the comedian's show with a different program altogether. This comes after Jimmy made a comment on the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political podcaster who was shot during a university event in Utah.
"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," a statement from the company read. The broadcaster previously declared that it would stand by the decision to take Jimmy off-air "until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network's commitment to professionalism and accountability."
They also called for the TV personality to make an apology to Charlie's family, including his widow, Erika Kirk, and their two young children, and to make a "meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA." Sinclair's Vice Chairman, Jason Smith, declared in the statement that Jimmy's comments "were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country," adding that "we believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities."
Disney revealed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return on Tuesday after a week-long hiatus, with the company standing by its choice to take him off the air. "We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country," their statement read.
"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."
Jimmy commented on the reaction to Charlie's death two days before his suspension, pointing out that the far-right were trying to pin the blame onto the political left despite the alleged shooter being raised in a conservative family.
"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it," he said. He then pointed out that Donald Trump's response to Charlie's death was odd; when the President was asked his thoughts on the tragedy mere days later, he decided to discuss the White House ballroom construction instead.
Disney's decision has drawn criticism from millions of people who argued that the company violated the right of free speech. Jimmy's fellow late-night hosts have spoken out in support of his actions, with Stephen Colbert calling it "blatant censorship". Donald seemed to delight in the news about Jimmy's show, taking to Truth Social to congratulate ABC for "finally having the courage to do what had to be done".