Regional Channels That Boycotted Kimmel Show Reverse Course: "We Listened to Viewers and Others"

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Achieves Record-High Viewership and Ratings

Regional media companies that had continued to boycott the American late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after it criticized the hardline supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump have announced that they will resume broadcasting the program.

Previously, on September 15, Kimmel commented on the Kirk assassination case, saying, "The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement is desperately trying to distance itself from the killer and is attempting to gain political advantage from the incident."

Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the flagship late-night talk show on ABC in the United States. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Subsequently, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brenda Carr raised concerns and called on local broadcasters to suspend the show. On September 17, the management of ABC and its parent company Disney decided to remove Kimmel from the program, which sparked a broader debate over freedom of expression.

ABC, which produces and airs the program, announced a suspension of the show on September 17 but resumed broadcasting on September 23.

At the time, Sinclair, a regional media company, stated that it would not comply and would continue its boycott. However, on September 26 (local time), Sinclair issued a statement saying, "We are ending the suspension of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' The program will air on Sinclair's ABC affiliates starting this evening."

Sinclair owns and operates ABC-affiliated stations in about 40 regions across the United States, including Washington, D.C., while Nexstar owns and operates ABC affiliates in about 30 regions, including Salt Lake City and New Orleans.

Sinclair explained, "Over the past week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing diverse perspectives. This underscores why responsible broadcasting is important and why respectful dialogue among people with different viewpoints remains essential."

Nexstar, another regional media company, also issued a statement announcing the resumption of the Kimmel show. Nexstar said, "We have discussed the matter with the management of The Walt Disney Company (Disney), and we appreciate their constructive approach in addressing our concerns."

Nexstar added, "As a local broadcaster, we will continue to uphold our commitment to protect the First Amendment (freedom of expression) by producing and airing fact-based, unbiased local and national news, and by broadcasting content that serves the interests of the communities we serve."

Meanwhile, after Disney, the parent company, had suspended the program, the Kimmel show resumed broadcasting for the first time the previous day. According to preliminary Nielsen ratings, the average number of viewers reached 6.26 million-four times the usual figure. From September last year to May this year, the average number of viewers was 1.42 million.

It is highly unusual for a late-night program to achieve this level of viewership outside of National Football League (NFL) playoff games.

One hour before the broadcast, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media, "I can't believe ABC Fake News brought Jimmy Kimmel back," indicating his intention to file a lawsuit against ABC regarding this matter.