TV giant Sinclair is putting Jimmy Kimmel back on the air

Sinclair Broadcasting volition aerial Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night speech amusement connected its 38 ABC affiliate stations erstwhile again, the institution announced, aft Disney reinstated Kimmel from a suspension earlier this week. Along with chap broadcast institution Nexstar, Sinclair had suspended airing Kimmel’s amusement nether unit from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, but Sinclair initially chose to regenerate Jimmy Kimmel Live! with “news programming” adjacent aft the reinstatement, but the amusement volition beryllium backmost this evening, with Sinclair airing a rerun of Kimmel’s Tuesday episode, Variety reports.

In a statement, Sinclair downplayed the power of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who past week threatened broadcasters that aired Kimmel’s show. The threats came aft Kimmel made a gag astir the alleged shooter of right-wing activistic Charlie Kirk, and they were astir instantly followed by Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s removal from Sinclair and different broadcaster, Nexstar, past his suspension astatine ABC. “Our determination to preempt this programme was autarkic of immoderate authorities enactment oregon influence,” Sinclair said. “Free code provides broadcasters with the close to workout judgement arsenic to the contented connected their section stations. While we recognize that not everyone volition hold with our decisions astir programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion escaped code portion demanding that broadcasters aerial circumstantial content.”

Sinclair besides said it’s had discussions with ABC wherever it “proposed measures to fortify accountability, spectator feedback, and assemblage dialogue, including a network-wide autarkic ombudsman.” The institution adds that “while ABC and Disney person not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their close to marque those decisions nether our web affiliate agreements, we judge specified measures could fortify spot and accountability.”

Nexstar, which owns astir 30 ABC affiliates, according to CNBC, has not stated whether it volition resume airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Nexstar didn’t instantly reply to a petition for comment. Disney SVP of strategical communications Richard Horrmann declined to comment.