Amid an intensifying backlash, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to ABC on Tuesday following a week-long suspension sparked by Kimmel speculating that Charlie Kirk’s killer was a MAGA conservative. An ABC spokesman said: “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. 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.” The suspension began after FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC’s affiliate licenses, and station groups Nexstar and Sinclair said they would preempt the show. However, the decision sparked widespread criticism from both Democratic and Republican politicians, hundreds of celebrities, and Hollywood unions as a blatant attack on free speech.
But Kimmel won’t be returning to all markets tonight. Sinclair Broadcasting, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, said it’s “preempting” the show across 30 markets and replacing it with news programming. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said. No details about those discussions were released, but Sinclair is widely known as a politically conservative media company, and had asked for Kimmel to “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” and for him to make a “meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,” when the late night host was suspended last week. (Story URL)
