Sinclair, Nexstar Resume Jimmy Kimmel Live

Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group resumed airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their ABC affiliates on Friday, Sept. 26, ending partial blackouts that had taken the show off several local stations. The broadcasters had pulled the program after Kimmel’s monologue about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk prompted ABC/Disney to suspend the show and led Sinclair to demand a personal apology and a “meaningful” donation to the Kirk family/Turning Point USA while Nexstar sought assurances Kimmel would make amends. Kimmel returned earlier in the week saying he did not intend to make light of the murder, and the program drew strong ratings on its return. Both companies said their reinstatement responded to viewer, advertiser and community feedback and their duty to local audiences while asserting their right to exercise local programming judgment; they added that some proposed accountability measures were not adopted by ABC/Disney. The move restored the show to dozens of local markets and effectively closed the high‑profile dispute over local preemption, free speech and broadcaster discretion amid FCC scrutiny.