Sinclair Broadcast Group said Friday it would allow its ABC affiliates, including KOMO in Seattle, to air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ending the preemption of the late-night talk show.
The Maryland-based company said in a news release its decision to preempt the show was not politically motivated and said it has been listening to the feedback over the last week.
"Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure that programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience," the company said in the release. "We take seriously our responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming."
The decision puts an end to the saga in Seattle more than a week after ABC suspended the longtime late-night host. Sinclair and KOMO faced heavy backlash for the preemption, including several protests alongside pressure from advertisers and politicians, including Seattle mayoral candidate Katie Wilson and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Nexstar Media Group, which is trying to buy KING 5 owner Tegna, also ended its preemption of the show Friday.
Last week, Kimmel criticized pro-Trump conservatives for capitalizing on the Sept. 10 assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel also said the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Those remarks prompted pressure from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and companies such as Sinclair.
Despite The Walt Disney Co., ABC’s owner, reversing Kimmel's suspension, Sinclair had refused to air the show on its ABC affiliates and replaced it with local and national news programming.
Sinclair previously demanded a public apology from Kimmel and a donation to Turning Point USA, Kirk’s conservative activist group, before it would allow its affiliates to air the show. The company says it is still in ongoing conversations with ABC on "collaborative efforts between the ABC affiliates and the ABC network."
Kimmel returned Tuesday night and didn’t apologize for his comments but clarified he never intended to make light of Kirk’s death. He also criticized ABC affiliates for refusing to air his show.
“That’s not American,” he said. “It’s un-American.”
Cantwell, a top Democrat on the Senate committee overseeing the FCC, wrote to Sinclair’s CEO, Christopher Ripley, on Wednesday, expressing her disappointment in the company’s decision to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
"Good news: Jimmy Kimmel Live! is back on the air in Seattle tonight, Friday night! Thank you, Sinclair, for listening," the senator posted Friday.
Wilson had said Thursday she wouldn't participate in an upcoming debate on KOMO with Mayor Bruce Harrell unless the station aired Kimmel's show. She said Friday, after the announcement, that she would.
"Our campaign is grateful to see Sinclair walked back their previous capitulation to Trump, after pressure from boycotts from our campaign and others," Wilson said in a statement. "This is an example of what public pressure can accomplish. We are glad to be able to participate in the upcoming debate.”
Gov. Bob Ferguson previously said Sinclair owed Kimmel an apology and encouraged the company to air his return.
“Kimmel is back in Seattle,” Ferguson said in a statement Friday. “He should never have been pulled from the air in the first place, but I’m glad to see ABC, and now Sinclair, reverse course. I remain concerned that President Trump and the FCC are threatening broadcasters. We can't allow the media to be silenced simply because they don't agree with the president.”
Local advertisers, including the Seattle Theatre Group, had pulled ads from KOMO after Sinclair preempted the show, citing free speech concerns.
Sinclair said the First Amendment and free speech "provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations."
"While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content, the company said.
Kimmel's suspension and its fallout led to criticism that the federal government is using its power and influence to suppress speech that's critical of the president and his supporters.
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