Local television broadcaster Sinclair, Inc. has pulled future airings of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” from its ABC affiliated broadcast stations amid concerns over remarks the talk show host made during a monologue on Monday.
In a statement e-mailed to The Desk on Wednesday, Sinclair said it would not air the late night program on any of its TV stations until it held “formal discussions” with executives at ABC “regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”
The demand for those discussions came hours after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized ABC for allowing Kimmel to make remarks about a man suspected of shooting political activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk last week.
During his monologue on Monday, Kimmel remarked that supporters of President Donald Trump — whom he characterized as the “MAGA gang” — were attempting to distance themselves from the shooting suspect, Tyler Robinson.
No motive for the shooting was known when the monologue was filmed on Monday, but numerous news profiles on Robinson noted that his immediate family members were registered Republicans who appeared aligned with Trump’s political ideologies.
Things changed on Tuesday when an indictment charging Robinson with murder inferred that the shooting suspect held politically-progressive views. Prosecutors also said Robinson was in a relationship with his transgender room-mate, and that evidence led police to believe that Robinson was motivated by his apparent political leaning, which differed from that of his family.
The monologue flew under the radar until Wednesday afternoon, when Carr made a veiled threat against ABC during an interview with conservative YouTube personality and former BuzzFeed News journalist Benny Johnson.
“Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Within hours, Sinclair and peer broadcaster Nexstar Media Group made public statements condemning Kimmel’s remarks. A Nexstar executive said it would stop airing new episodes of Kimmel’s show on its ABC affiliates “in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
But Sinclair took things much further: In addition to suspending Kimmel’s show on its ABC affiliates, the broadcaster said it wanted Kimmel to apologize for his remarks and make a personal donation to Turning Point USA, the non-profit organization co-founded by Kirk in 2012.
“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” Jason Smith, the Vice Chairman of Sinclair, 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.”
Sinclair did not say what it will do with the 11:35 p.m. time slot that normally occupies Kimmel’s show, except for Friday, when it intends to air a one-hour tribute to Kirk on its ABC affiliates. Other Sinclair-owned stations will also run the special over the weekend, and the broadcaster has offered the tribute to other broadcasters with ABC-affiliated stations across the country.
#BREAKING: Sinclair says it will air a one-hour tribute to Charlie Kirk on its ABC-affiliated stations in the time slot that is usually occupied for “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The special will air on Friday, per a Sinclair spokesperson.
— TheDesk.net (@thedesk.net) September 17, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Sinclair owns around three dozen primary or secondary ABC affiliates, including:
- KAEF-TV (Channel 23), Eureka, California
- KATU (Channel 2), Portland, Oregon
- KATV (Channel 7), Little Rock, Arkansas
- KDNL-TV (Channel 30), St. Louis, Missouri
- KHGI-CD (Channel 27), North Platte, Nebraska
- KHGI-TV (Channel 13), Lincoln, Nebraska
- KOMO-TV (Channel 4), Seattle, Washington
- KRCR-TV (Channel 7), Chico-Redding, California
- KTUL (Channel 8), Tulsa, Oklahoma
- KTXE-LD (Channel 12), San Angelo, Texas
- KTXS-TV (Channel 12), Abilene, Texas
- KVII-TV (Channel 7), Amarillo, Texas
- KVIH-TV (Channel 12), Clovis, New Mexico
- KWNB-LD (Channel 29), McCook, Nebraska
- KWNB-TV (Channel 6), Hayes Center, Nebraska
- WATM-TV (Channel 23), Altoona, Pennsylvania
- WBMA-LD (Channel 58), Birmingham, Alabama
- WCHS-TV (Channel 8), Charleston, West Virginia
- WCTI-TV (Channel 12), Greenville, North Carolina
- WEAR-TV (Channel 3), Mobile, Alabama
- WJLA-TV (Channel 7), Washington, D.C.
- WKEF (Channel 22), Dayton, Ohio
- WSET-TV (Channel 13), Lynchburg–Roanoke, Virginia
- WTVC (Channel 9), Chattanooga, Tennessee
- WXLV-TV (Channel 45), Winston-Salem, North Carolina
In an interview with the Fox News Channel late Wednesday evening, Carr said he was pleased by Nexstar and Sinclair’s decisions, saying the decision to pull Kimmel appeared to be part of the conditional broadcast licenses held by each company, which requires it to air programming in the public interest.
“I’m very glad to see that America’s broadcasters are standing up to serve the interests of their community,” Carr said. “We don’t just have this progressive foie gras coming out from New York and Hollywood.”
But both broadcasters were also likely influenced by matters beyond their public interest obligations: Nexstar and Sinclair each have pending business deals with other broadcast groups that involve the transferring of TV licenses. Before those licenses can be transferred, the FCC must approve each deal.
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