Sinclair Refuses to Air Jimmy Kimmel on ABC Stations
Broadcast giant clashes with Disney over Kimmel’s return
Philadelphia, September 23 EST: Sinclair Broadcast Group has decided it won’t carry Jimmy Kimmel Live! on any of its 39 ABC affiliates, even after ABC announced that the late-night host would return to air following his suspension. Instead, those stations will swap him out for local news programming.
The decision, rolled out late Monday, underscores just how deep the rift has grown between one of the country’s biggest local broadcasters and the network it partners with. At the center of it all: a fight over politics, comedy, and who gets to decide what’s fit for broadcast.
Sinclair Draws A Line
According to Business Insider, Sinclair executives told ABC they weren’t satisfied with how the network handled Kimmel’s recent suspension. The suspension came after Kimmel made remarks about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that drew intense backlash from right-wing circles.
Now Sinclair says reinstating Kimmel is premature. The company wants him to apologize directly to Kirk’s family and make a donation to Turning Point USA, the activist group Kirk founded. Without those steps, they argue, their affiliates won’t put him back on the air.
That’s not a common stance for affiliates to take. Networks typically dictate the lineup, and affiliates generally follow. For Sinclair to break away on such a visible program is a loud signal that this isn’t just about one comedian, it’s about control.
Pushing For Regulators To Step In
Sinclair isn’t only pressing Disney and ABC. It’s also calling on the Federal Communications Commission to take a harder look at how networks respond when programming crosses the line, as Entertainment Weekly reported.
The FCC almost never intervenes in disputes like this, but Sinclair’s move to drag regulators into the conversation adds an unusual dimension. It suggests the company isn’t just trying to make a programming choice, it’s trying to set a precedent about what belongs on the public airwaves.
Politics And Late-Night Comedy Collide
This fight is, at its core, political. Kimmel has long been a target for conservatives, thanks to his nightly monologues that skewer Republican politicians and right-wing media figures. Fans see him as sharp-tongued and willing to take risks. Critics see him as mean-spirited and one-sided.
But this clash with Sinclair is different. It’s not just online outrage or partisan chatter, it’s a broadcaster with real leverage telling a network that it won’t play ball. And for millions of viewers in Sinclair markets, that means when Kimmel returns, they simply won’t see him.
Sinclair framed the decision in lofty terms about standards and accountability. In a statement, the company argued that it wasn’t trying to silence anyone, only to uphold what it called “respectful public discourse.” Critics, though, see it as a heavy-handed attempt to punish a host for making fun of someone with political connections.
A Headache For Disney
For Disney, which owns ABC, the optics aren’t great. The network relies on affiliates like Sinclair to reach households across the country. Losing late-night clearance in nearly 40 markets could ding Kimmel’s ratings and chip away at advertising revenue.
At the same time, Disney is unlikely to give in to Sinclair’s demands. Forcing one of its biggest stars to apologize under pressure from a conservative broadcaster, or to make a donation to a political group, would set a precedent the company probably doesn’t want to set.
As the New York Post noted, Disney hasn’t said much publicly, and insiders suggest executives are weighing whether to fight or ride it out. Either way, the company has been put in a corner.
What Comes Next
For now, viewers in cities where Sinclair runs ABC affiliates will get local news instead of Kimmel when the show returns. That may not matter much to diehard fans who can stream him on-demand. But in late-night TV, where ratings are already fragile, every missing market makes a dent.
The bigger question is whether other affiliates follow Sinclair’s lead. If they do, ABC could face a cascade of headaches. If they don’t, Sinclair risks looking like it’s carrying out a personal crusade rather than a principled stand.
The FCC, meanwhile, is unlikely to rush in. Regulators usually stay far away from content disputes unless obscenity or indecency is involved. But Sinclair’s lobbying could at least force Washington to acknowledge the dust-up.
And then there’s Kimmel himself. He’s survived controversies before, often doubling down on the material that landed him in hot water. But this one feels different. This isn’t just about what he said on-air, it’s about whether a corporate broadcaster can effectively veto him.
The battle lines are drawn: a comedian with a reputation for needling conservatives, a broadcaster with a reputation for backing them, and a network caught between. Where it goes from here may say as much about the future of late-night comedy as it does about the state of American broadcasting.
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Trained in war zones, raised in Newark, and seasoned in city hall, Jordan blends grit reporting with deep integrity. From floods to finance bills, they’re always first on scene and last to leave.
