Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show is set to return to major ABC stations after being pulled over his recent comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Disney decided to bring Jimmy Kimmel Live! back three days ago after public criticism, but Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group initially refused to air it again.
Now the two major network operators which own over 20% of ABC stations announced on Friday, September 26, that they will bring the show back to their ABC affiliates.
The move came after Sinclair received "thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders."
In its statement, the company pointed to its "responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honouring our obligations to air national network programming," as per Sky News.
Meanwhile, Nexstar said it would air programs that it believes are "in the best interest of the communities we serve."
After ending the ban, viewers in cities such as Washington, DC, Nashville, New Orleans and Seattle can now watch Kimmel's show again.
Reason behind Jimmy Kimmel's suspension:
During his September 15 monologue, Kimmel made a joke that angered Conservatives and Republican officials including a FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
Kimmel said the "MAGA gang desperately [is] trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it."
He also likened Trump's reaction to the influencer's murder to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish".
Jimmy Kimmel's first statement after his suspension ends:
In his first show after the suspension, Kimmel stated that he did not mean to make jokes or downplay Kirk's death.
"Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make," he added.
Donald Trump's reaction on Kimmel's reinstatement:
Trump expressed his disappointment over the decision in a social media post, saying, "I can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back."
