As reported last week, Jimmy Kimmel was dumped by ABC for lying about the motives of Charlie Kirk’s killer and then attempting to double down even more the next night. The fallout was more than ABC/Disney and advertisers could bear.
Kimmel’s show, however, is set to return tonight on ABC, but millions of viewers around the country won’t be able to see it. Two of the nation’s largest television station owners, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, announced they will continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their ABC affiliates.
Both companies stated that they object to airing the show at this time and will continue to substitute local news or other programming instead. Their decision comes even as Disney moves forward with putting Kimmel back on the air nationwide.
Sinclair made its stance clear, saying it would not carry the program unless Kimmel issues a direct apology to Charlie Kirk’s family and makes a donation to both the family and to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded. Nexstar took a similar line, stressing that it wants more assurances from ABC about the tone of the show and how it will contribute to what it called “constructive dialogue.”
Andrew Kolvet, Charlie Kirk’s long-time executive producer, weighed in praising Sinclair for the decision:
The moves by Sinclair and Nexstar are significant because together they control a large share of ABC stations across the country. Their refusal means that many viewers who normally watch the show on their local ABC channel will not see it tonight, at least not through traditional broadcast. The program will still run in markets where affiliates are not owned by those two companies, and it will remain available through streaming.
- Nexstar owns 28 ABC affiliates
- Sinclair owns 38 ABC affiliates.
- Combined, these groups control over 60 of ABC’s ~242 affiliates
- It’s reported that their reach across U.S. viewers is about 22–25% of the potential ABC audience (i.e. households that watch ABC through those stations)
Key ABC Markets Owned by Sinclair
- Washington, D.C. — WJLA (ABC 7) is Sinclair-owned
- Seattle-Tacoma, WA — KOMO-TV (ABC affiliate) is owned by Sinclair
- St. Louis, MO — Sinclair has an ABC affiliate there (KDNL)
- Portland, OR — KATU is Sinclair-owned
Key ABC Markets Owned by Nexstar
- Salt Lake City, UT — ABC4 (KTVX / sister station) is a major Nexstar ABC market
- Nashville, TN — One of the larger ABC markets Nexstar owns
- New Orleans, LA — Another sizable market under Nexstar’s ABC affiliate ownership
- Hartford-New Haven, CT — Also on the list of their largest ABC markets
The standoff underscores the pressure network executives face as they weigh free expression against the responsibilities of local stations to their audiences. How long Sinclair and Nexstar will hold out, and whether Kimmel addresses the controversy on his return, will be closely watched later tonight.