Photo: Getty Images North America
After a brief suspension following comments about the Charlie Kirk assassination on Monday, Jimmy Kimmel will be returning starting tonight. While the ABC network will once again be carrying his show, as many as 30 ABC stations across the country will not be airing it.
That's thanks to Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates a number of ABC stations across the country, announcing they will continue to preempt Kimmel's show. Sinclair, along with another major owner of ABC stations, Nexstar, had announced last week that they would be preempting Kimmel's show, prompting his suspension from ABC.
Sinclair says they won't be lifting their suspension of Kimmel until after they have had discussions with ABC about Kimmel.
They also issued a list of demands that they had for Kimmel himself, saying, "Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk family and Turning Point USA."
They went on to say, "Regardless of ABC’s plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."
Nexstar has also announced that they will not air Kimmel's show this evening either. They operate 28 ABC affiliate stations, and issued a statement this morning saying that they "stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve."