In a rare act of defiance against Disney, Sinclair Broadcasting Group has flat-out refused to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel Live!on its 33 ABC stations, snubbing the media giant’s deal to bring the late-night host back after his suspension.
On Monday, Disney and ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel would be returning to his late-night show after mounting pressure from celebrities and boycotts in the wake of his suspension.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in a statement. “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.”
Sinclair says it won’t air Jimmy Kimmel Live! again unless the host publicly apologizes to the Charlie Kirk family, makes a donation to Turning Point USA, and engages with ABC on “professionalism and accountability” in its broadcasts.
On Monday, Sinclair said that as Kimmel has refused to apologize, they will refrain from airing the show as the company continues to evaluate the situation.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” a rep for Sinclair said.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
Nexstar has not issued a statement as of this writing.