The Jimmy Kimmel blackout is completely over: Nexstar and Sinclair back down

By Brian Stelter, Liam Reilly, CNN

(CNN) — The blackout of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is over.

Sinclair and Nexstar, the two major station groups that preempted the talk show earlier this month, are allowing the show to return to their ABC-affiliated stations on Friday evening.

This means that Kimmel will be seen again in major cities like Washington, DC, Nashville, and Seattle, as well as several dozen other markets.

The reversal is a victory for Kimmel and ABC and a reflection of the power that national networks have over local affiliates.

Both Nexstar and Sinclair, which together operate nearly a quarter of ABC-affiliated stations, have been accused of trying to curry favor with President Trump and TV station regulator Brendan Carr by keeping Kimmel off the air even after ABC reinstated the show nationally earlier this week.

Sinclair claimed in a statement on Friday that “our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence.”

Several hours later, Nexstar issued a statement saying much the same thing.

The preemptions began last week when Carr leaned into a conservative outcry over Kimmel’s Sept. 15 monologue about the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk by condemning the late-night host and threatening local station licenses.

Nexstar and Sinclair informed ABC that it would yank Kimmel from its stations, leading ABC to preempt the show nationwide.

Nexstar, which is seeking Trump administration approval for its acquisition of another station group, initially condemned Kimmel’s commentary and said it would air other programming instead.

Sinclair said at the time that ABC’s preemption was “not enough” and said it wouldn’t bring the show back until “formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”

Sinclair also called on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and make a donation to Kirk’s conservative political organization, Turning Point USA, although the company didn’t say that was a condition of ending the blackout.

On Friday, Sinclair said that it did have discussions with ABC, but that the network did not accept its proposals “to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman.”

“While ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their right to make those decisions under our network affiliate agreements, we believe such measures could strengthen trust and accountability,” the company added.

Nexstar, too, said on Friday that it held discussions with Disney executives and “appreciate(s) their constructive approach to addressing our concerns.”

The station owner defended its role as a local broadcaster, stating that “we stand apart from cable television, monolithic streaming services, and national networks in our commitment – and obligation – to be stewards of the public airwaves and to protect and reflect the specific sensibilities of our communities.”

On Thursday night, Kimmel made light of the continued preemptions in his monologue.

“Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air,” he said. “Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone. And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much. We got the Trump bump, and we appreciate it.”

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