MW Sinclair ends boycott of Jimmy Kimmel show, putting pressure on Nexstar to bring program back

By Lukas I. Alpert

Nexstar remains the last holdout in a move by some ABC affiliates to take Kimmel's show off the air amid government pressure that raised allegations of censorship

The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show by ABC and its affiliates led to protests and calls to boycott Disney streaming services.

Local-television giant Sinclair Inc. said Friday that it was ending its boycott of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's program on the company's ABC affiliates, leaving Nexstar Media Group Inc. as the last remaining holdout.

Sinclair $(SBGI)$ said it had made the decision to return "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to the air following a nearly two-week suspension after the company engaged in "constructive discussions" with ABC and received "thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives."

"In our ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman," Sinclair said in a statement. "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."

Sinclair's decision to return Kimmel's show to the air in the more than 30 markets where it operates ABC affiliates - including Washington, D.C., Seattle and Columbus, Ohio - puts pressure on Nexstar $(NXST)$ to end its boycott of the program, which it pulled off its own channels in response to remarks the comedian made about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

A representative for Nexstar didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Both Nexstar and Sinclair - which operate more than 60 ABC affiliates in total - announced on Sept. 17 that they intended to suspend Kimmel's show on their channels in response to comments he made about Kirk's killing in his opening monologue two days earlier.

ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney Co. $(DIS)$, then indefinitely suspended Kimmel's show across its entire network of 250 affiliates.

The decision to suspend Kimmel came just hours after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr threatened to take action against the broadcaster and its affiliates if steps weren't taken to rein in Kimmel.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said in a podcast interview on Sept. 17. "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."

For Nexstar, this posed a potential problem. Last month the company, which owns over 200 stations across the country, reached a deal to acquire Tegna Inc. (TGNA), the owner of 64 television stations, for $6.2 billion. But to allow the deal to go through, the government will need to make a major change to long-standing rules that cap the number of households one television company can reach.

Sinclair has similarly been looking to sell some of its stations or buy others and will likely need government approval to make any moves.

The suspension of Kimmel's show sparked heavy criticism in Hollywood and among free-speech advocates, including Democrats and even some conservatives, who argued that the pressure from the Trump administration amounted to an assault on free speech. Some called for a boycott of Disney's streaming services, like Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.

Disney decided to return Kimmel to the air on Monday, a move that was met with criticism from some conservatives, who called for a counterboycott of Disney's services. At that point both Nexstar and Sinclair continued to boycott Kimmel's program, although they said they were continuing to negotiate with ABC on a resolution.

-Lukas I. Alpert

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September 26, 2025 15:39 ET (19:39 GMT)

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