Sinclair Promises To Preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' After Disney Announces The Program Will Return To Tonight
Sinclair announced that it will continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! after The Walt Disney Company announced it would return the program to air on September 23rd.
Last night, Disney announced that Kimmel would return to air stating, “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. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. 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.”
Sinclair responded by indicating it would still preempt the show writing, “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
Sinclair previously announced it would preempt Kimmel’s show back on September 17th after he lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassin and claimed he was a MAGA activist rather than leftist, which all evidence points to.
The company posted on X, “Due to problematic comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk in programming provided to broadcast stations by ABC, Sinclair and its partners, which operate ABC stations in 30 markets in the U.S., will stop airing Jimmy Kimmel’s show until further notice.”
Additionally, the company called on the FCC and ABC to take action claiming the suspension of Kimmel was not enough and made it abundantly clear they preempted because of his comments concerning the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The company’s Vice Chairman Jason Smith said, “Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country. 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.”
The company promised it would not lift the preemption of Kimmel’s show until “formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”
Furthermore, they called on Kimmel “to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” as well as “make a meaningful donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”
Finally, they declared, “Sinclair intends not to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”
NEXT: Henry Cavill Confirms Injury With Photo Of Bandaged Foot & Hints At Possible Warhammer Role
Good.