Earlier on Wednesday, ABC pulled the show off the air following remarks the host made about Kirk’s assassination
Sinclair will replace the Jimmy Kimmel Live! time slot on Friday with a tribute special to Charlie Kirk. The company has also demanded that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family, and donate to them and Turning Point USA, which was co-founded by Kirk.
The announcement was made shortly after ABC said is was suspending the late-night show “indefinitely” after both Sinclair and Nexstar kicked it off its U.S. stations following Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s assassination during a Monday monologue.
“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” said Sinclair’s Vice Chairman Jason Smith in a statement. “We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities. We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr’s remarks today and this incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”
The company also stated that it will not lift the suspension on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability,” and called on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family, as well as make “a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, publicly demanded licensed broadcasters to stop airing Kimmel’s show. “I think that it’s really sort of past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back on Comcast and Disney and say, ‘Listen, we are going to preempt, we are not going to run Kimmel anymore, until you straighten this out because we, we licensed broadcaster, are running the possibility of fines or license revocation from the FCC if we continue to run content that ends up being a pattern of news distortion,’” Carr said when speaking with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.
Kimmel is the latest late-night host to be yanked from a major network. In July, CBS announced its decision to abruptly end Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show in 2026. In a previous statement, the network claimed the cancellation was financial. However, the decision to end Colbert’s show garnered criticism, since the announcement came days after he criticized Paramount, CBS’ parent company, over its decision to agree to a settlement with President Donald Trump.
