ABC affiliates dished up some poetic justice for the left after Jimmy Kimmel’s show was suspended for his remarks following the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” reaped the consequences of his claim that Kirk’s alleged assassin was a conservative MAGA supporter, getting pulled off the air “indefinitely” by ABC.
Broadcast affiliates objected to Kimmel’s comments and refused to air episodes ahead of the network’s announcement, with Sinclair and Nexstar issuing statements condemning his remarks.
Due to problematic comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk in programming provided to broadcast stations by ABC, Sinclair and its partners, which operate ABC stations in 30 markets in the U.S., will stop airing Jimmy Kimmel’s show until further notice.
— Sinclair, Inc. (@WeAreSinclair) September 17, 2025
Making things worse for the left, Sinclair Broadcasting Group announced that during the show’s regular timeslot, a tribute to Kirk would be aired instead.
“Sinclair’s ABC stations will air a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk this Friday, during Jimmy Kimmel Live’s timeslot. The special will also air across all Sinclair stations this weekend. In addition, Sinclair is offering the special to all ABC affiliates across the country,” the group announced in a press release.
BREAKING: Sinclair Broadcast Group just announced that they will be filming a CHARLIE KIRK TRIBUTE and it will be shown during Kimmels old time slot!
Thank you @BrendanCarrFCC for doing this, and doing it quickly. pic.twitter.com/tVHsSXsHAw
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) September 18, 2025
“Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the press release read. “As discussed with ABC earlier today, Sinclair decided to indefinitely preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ beginning tonight. Following these discussions, ABC has suspended production of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!'”
The group said it would not return the show to its stations “until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability,” and called on Kimmel to issue an apology and donation to Kirk’s family as well as a donation to the group he co-founded, Turning Point USA.
“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith said 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.”
All 32 of Nexstar’s ABC broadcast affiliates also refused to air the late-night show.
“Nexstar Media Group, Inc. today announced that the company’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network would preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight’s show. Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” a press release read.
BREAKING: Nextstar Media, the parent company of ABC, has pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over comments Kimmel made regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination pic.twitter.com/soBlBhar0B
— Exec Sum (@exec_sum) September 17, 2025
“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue,” Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a statement.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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