Measure was motivated by the presenter’s comments about the death of the conservative activist, who were considered ‘inappropriate and deeply insensitive’ by the vice president of Sinclair Group, Jason Smith
The Sinclair Media Conglomerate has announced that it will replace this Friday’s display time (19) of the program Live! by a special in honor of founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA. The special will be displayed in ABC affiliates of the group and made available to other network broadcasters across the country. In addition, the company demanded that Jimmy Kimmel publicly retract with Kirk’s family and make a “significant personal donation” to them and Turning Point USA.
Sinclair’s decision takes place after the group, along with Nexstar Media Group, another major ABC affiliate owner, to remove the program from their stations. The measure was motivated by Kimmel’s recent comments about Kirk’s death, considered “inappropriate and deeply insensitive” by Sinclair Vice President Jason Smith. Shortly thereafter, ABC suspended the production of the program indefinitely.
See Kimmel’s speech about Charlie Kirk and recent comments from Trump in a statement, Smith stated that media outlets are responsible for promoting a respectful and constructive dialogue. According to him, the case highlights the need for regulatory action of the Federal Communications Commission to deal with the control exerted by large national networks on local broadcasters.
American right activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on September 10, 2025, in a murder that generated fears of more political violence in the US
Future of the program in affiliates
Sinclair has stated that it does not intend to reintegrate Jimmy Kimmel Live! In their broadcasters until there are formal discussions with ABC about “professionalism and responsibility”. Even if production is resumed by the network, the company ensures that it will only display the program when it is convinced that the expected standards of a national transmission platform have been fulfilled.
*With information from Estadão Content
