Local networks won’t air Jimmy Kimmel’s show: Nexstar and Sinclair maintain boycott over Charlie Kirk comments
The decision will affect 25% of American households, and will also hurt advertising revenue
It’s not all good news for Jimmy Kimmel and his show. After nearly a week of suspension following a comment about Charlie Kirk’s murder, ABC — owned by the Disney conglomerate — announced on Monday that it would resume filming and airing the show. This means that Jimmy Kimmel Live! can be seen again in much of the country… but not everywhere. Two major local station networks, Nexstar and Sinclair, have decided to continue their boycott of the program.
On Monday, when ABC’s decision to bring back Jimmy Kimmel Live! despite the Trump administration’s objections became known, Sinclair and Nexstar did not seem pleased. Nexstar remained silent, while sources close to Sinclair hinted that they were not in favor of airing the show. That position was confirmed Tuesday morning.
“We made a decision last week to preemptJimmy Kimmel Live!following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” Nexstar said in a statement. “We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”
Sinclair issued a similar statement: “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming” the company explained late Monday. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
The decision affects viewers because Sinclair owns 66 stations, 38 of which air the show locally, while Nexstar owns 200, with 28 affiliated with ABC. According to calculations by the Los Angeles Times, this represents roughly 25% of the show’s audience, which would likely result in lower viewership and, consequently, reduced advertising revenue.
Nexstar’s refusal has broader implications, as the network — which reaches 70% of the U.S. population — is in the midst of acquiring another key competitor, Tegna, for a staggering $6.2 billion. But the deal requires approval from the FCC, the U.S. communications regulator — and thus the Trump administration. Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC, was one of the most persistent voices calling for Kimmel’s suspension.
In fact, Carr was one of the instigators of the show’s suspension. After Kimmel’s comment about Charlie Kirk, the FCC head stated in a podcast that Kimmel had to be removed: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” He argued the comedian’s remarks were part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people” and said that the FCC would have to consider possible action. Nexstar was the first to react: it immediately canceled Kimmel’s show, followed shortly after by ABC.
Meanwhile, Sinclair has already announced that it is considering buying M&A, another media group, as reported last August. In addition, the owners of Sinclair are very conservative, and its CEO, David Smith, is a high-profile Republican donor as well as a close friend of conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. According to The Washington Post, during Democrat Barack Obama’s presidency, Smith required his stations to broadcast stories critical of the then-president. In recent years, he has steered Sinclair toward a perspective more favorable to Republicans and to Trump.
The role of the federal administration in Kimmel’s suspension was crucial. In fact, Carr was one of the instigators of the show’s suspension. After Kimmel’s comment about Charlie Kirk, the FCC head stated in a podcast that Kimmel had to be removed: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” He argued the comedian’s remarks were part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people” and said that the FCC would have to consider possible action. Nexstar was the first to react: it immediately canceled Kimmel’s show, followed shortly after by ABC.
In addition to Nexstar and Sinclair, other local station groups, such as Hearst and Gray, broadcast the network’s programming. They have raised no objections and announced that they will resume airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night. While such local station groups have the right to refuse programming they consider unsuitable for their audience, they rarely exercise it. For instance, The New York Times recalls a notable case in 2006 when a Mormon station in Utah refused to air a Madonna special out of fear she might perform an inappropriate religious gesture, such as hanging from a cross.
Bridging these differences does not seem easy. This week, the National Association of Broadcasters, representing various television groups, issued a statement calling for calm. In a document titled Protecting the First Amendment: Why This Moment Matters for Broadcasters, it defended station freedom but also noted that it continued to “see veiled threats suggesting broadcasters should be penalized for airing content that is contrary to a particular point of view” — an effort is described as “wrong.”
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition