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Jimmy Kimmel show back on air as Nexstar and Sinclair lift boycott
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will air again across Sinclair’s markets, stretching from Seattle to Washington, DC.
Nexstar Media Group followed Sinclair Broadcast Group in reinstating Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show on Friday (local time), ending a multi-day blackout that had left viewers in dozens of US cities without access, reported the Associated Press.
Both companies had suspended the program in response to comments Kimmel made following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
This means, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will air again across Sinclair’s markets, stretching from Seattle to Washington, DC. The show is set to return to local television on Nexstar’s ABC affiliates in 28 cities, in addition to the 38 Sinclair stations that have also agreed to restore the program.
Even after Disney restored Kimmel to national broadcasts earlier, both Sinclair and Nexstar initially continued to preempt the show.
Disney-owned ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel on September 17 after threats of potential action from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission. Sinclair Broadcast Group also condemned the host, confirming it would stop airing the show the same day.
The Maryland-based broadcaster, Sinclair, known for its conservative political content, initially called on Jimmy Kimmel to apologize to Charlie Kirk’s family and went further, requesting that he “make a meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit Kirk founded.
However, in a statement Friday, Sinclair highlighted its obligations, saying it takes seriously its “responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming,” reported AP.
Donald Trump, who has frequently expressed frustration over mockery from Kimmel and other late-night hosts, has repeatedly called for them to be taken off the air and labeled some criticism of him as “illegal.”
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During his Tuesday night return, Kimmel addressed what he described as an "anti-American" effort to silence a comedian.
“The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs,” he said. “Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke.”
