- ABC affiliate group Sinclair demanded that Jimmy Kimmel apologize for his comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson.
- The group also pressured the comedian to make donations to Kirk’s family and organization, Turning Point USA.
- Sinclair said it would not resume broadcasting Jimmy Kimmel Live even if ABC ended the show’s suspension unless its demands were met.
An ABC affiliate group has demanded that Jimmy Kimmel literally pay his respects to Charlie Kirk before returning to television.
Sinclair, a broadcasting company that owns over 30 local ABC affiliates nationwide, issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the comedian’s comment about “the MAGA gang” response to Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson, and insisted that the Jimmy Kimmel Live host makes several moves to honor Kirk.
The company pressured Kimmel to “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” and also to “make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family,” as well as make an additional donation to the late conservative provocateur’s organization Turning Point USA.
Sinclair said that Kimmel’s suspension “is not enough” and called for the FCC and ABC to take additional action to intervene in the comedian’s show.
Representatives for Kimmel and ABC did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.
The company threatened to that it would not resume broadcasting the talk show until “formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”
The company also said that even if ABC opts to resume Kimmel’s show, Sinclair’s stations will not put Kimmel back on the air “until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”
Disney/Randy Holmes
Sinclair also stated that it would air “a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk” on Friday during Kimmel’s usual time slot, and that the tribute program would be rebroadcast throughout the weekend.
ABC placed Jimmy Kimmel Live on indefinite suspension on Wednesday after affiliate groups like Sinclair and Nexstar announced that they were preempting the talk show, citing his comments about Robinson as justification for dropping the show.
On Monday’s episode of JKL, the host said, “We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”
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FCC chair Brendan Carr then encouraged affiliate groups to push back against Kimmel and ABC by refusing to broadcast the show, and later praised Nexstar for doing just that.
Nexstar, Sinclair, and ABC’s corporate parent, The Walt Disney Co., are each engaged in deregulation lobbying or else high-profile deals subject to approval by the FCC or the Trump administration more broadly.
Nexstar’s acquisition of Tenga, for one, requires Trump administration approval and would create a monopoly of 265 stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, representing 80 percent of U.S. households. Nexstar currently owns 32 ABC affiliates of 200.
The Walt Disney Co., also requires Trump administration approval on its deal for ESPN to buy the NFL Network.
