After affiliate pressure and FCC scrutiny, Sinclair moves its Charlie Kirk tribute online — leaving ABC’s late-night slot to a “Celebrity Family Feud” rerun.
Sinclair quietly reversed plans Friday to air a one-hour special about conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the late-night “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” timeslot on its ABC affiliates — instead uploading the program to YouTube and leaving ABC’s 11:35 p.m. hour untouched with a rerun of “Celebrity Family Feud.”
The decision capped a chaotic week in late-night programming that began after ABC indefinitely pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over comments Kimmel made about the person who killed Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month. Major station groups including Sinclair and Nexstar had announced they were removing Kimmel from their local lineups, citing the host’s on-air remarks.
Those moves followed public pressure from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who publicly urged affiliates to act. Carr’s remarks explicitly suggested the FCC could target networks and affiliates that did not “take action.”
Sinclair — a broadcaster widely known for its conservative editorial bent — initially said it would replace the Kimmel hour with “The National News Desk: Special Edition; The Life and Legacy of Charlie Kirk,” a 55-minute program described by the company as an in-depth look at Kirk’s life, political violence in America, and the “growing young voices of America.”
But late Friday the company reversed course: a Sinclair statement said the special would be made available on The National News Desk’s YouTube channel “ensuring viewers can continue to enjoy ABC programming while also providing full access to the special online.”
The 11:35 p.m. hour instead aired a previously broadcast episode of “Celebrity Family Feud” — the Aug. 21 episode featuring Norma ni, Michelle Buteau, Andy Richter and Jason Ritter. (Proceeds from that episode’s winnings go to the celebrities’ selected charities.)
The turnabout came after Sinclair publicly demanded that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make “a meaningful personal donation” to the family and to Turning Point USA — the conservative group Kirk founded — before the company would consider allowing the show back on its ABC affiliates.
Jason Smith, Sinclair’s vice chairman, blasted Kimmel’s remarks as “inappropriate and deeply insensitive,” saying broadcasters have a duty to “educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue” in their communities.
As the scrambling continued, Disney and Kimmel reportedly were in talks about a compromise to return the show to the air; Kimmel himself has not commented publicly on the suspension. For viewers, the episode underscores how national politics, corporate pressure and regulatory threats can ripple directly into what airs on local TV late at night.
What do you think — was Sinclair right to shift the special online, or should local affiliates have stuck with ABC’s programming? Share your take below.