Sinclair Broadcast Group Demands Jimmy Kimmel Apologize To Charlie Kirk’s Family & Make Donation To Turning Point USA If He Wants To Return To Their ABC Affiliates

At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will ever be back on the air.

Yesterday, it was announced that the late night host would be suspended indefinitely following his controversial and false comments surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Kirk was tragically assassinated on Wednesday, September 10th during a stop on his The American Comeback tour at Utah Valley University. Graphic video from the tragic scene showed a single shot striking Kirk in the neck before he fell to the ground and the crowd went running.

A suspect named Tyler Robinson, a 22-year old from Utah, was finally taken into the custody about 33 hours later.

Kirk, whose full name was Charles James Kirk, was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality. He was famously known for being a founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. And he was also a devout Christian, often speaking about his faith and belief in Biblical values.

The popular political pundit was famous for traveling around to various college campuses, speaking to students on political topics. Given his outward right-wing views, his events often attracted many left-wing attendees anxious to debate or argue, and he was often the subject of protests and criticism from the left, though he encouraged thoughtful debate over violence and arguments.

Unfortunately, because of the times we live in, there were plenty of people who took to social media to celebrate the horrific assassination simply because they disagreed with his political views. Plenty of companies have let employees go, and had to release statements denouncing comments made by their employees, over the past few days.

And Jimmy Kimmel found himself under scrutiny after making the following comments during his monologue on Monday, seeming to imply without evidence that the shooter was right-wing or “MAGA.”

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

And he also joked about Trump’s reaction to the murder:

“In between the finger pointing, there was grieving.”

His comments did not sit well with FCC chair Brendan Carr, along with many others, who called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and said there was a “strong case” for action against ABC and parent company, Disney.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.

They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”

And it didn’t take long for companies to take action. Nexstar Media Group, the largest television station owner in the country (which also happens to be seeking government approval for a merger with another broadcast company, Tegna) announced that their ABC affiliates would be pulling Kimmel from its lineup:

“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owner of ABC affiliates in the country, also announced that they would be pulling Kimmel’s show indefinitely from their stations – and this Friday, will replace it with a tribute to Charlie Kirk instead:

“Sinclair’s ABC stations will air a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk this Friday, during Jimmy Kimmel Live’s timeslot. The special will also air across all Sinclair stations this weekend. In addition, Sinclair is offering the special to all ABC affiliates across the country.”

But they didn’t stop there.

They also laid out a list of other demands they want to see met before they’re willing to life the suspension on their ABC stations, saying they want to have “formal discussions” held with ABC “regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”

In addition, they want Kimmel to:

“Issue a direct apology to the Kirk family.”

The added he has to make a “meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,” Kirk’s nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics and Erika was just named the CEO of today.

Sinclair explained that whether or not ABC puts Kimmel back on air, they will not air on their own stations until the previous demands are met. As previously mentioned, Sinclair is the largest owner of ABC affiliates in the country, and they’re taking a pretty hard line stance on this so we’ll see what Kimmel is willing to do in order to keep his late-night show on air.

pic.twitter.com/iMedHkjFqa

— Sinclair, Inc. (@WeAreSinclair) September 18, 2025

Plenty of reports have come out saying that Kimmel is ready to end his contract now, and I don’t see him making a donation at Turning Point USA, to keep his job… seems like it might be best for him to cut his losses and start looking for a new job. It’s not like he was pulling in impressive ratings anyways…

While the political and cultural fallout from the tragic assassination of Kirk continues, I can’t help but continue to think of Erika and her two sweet, extremely young children who are dealing with the senseless loss of a husband a father. It’s just so heartbreaking and unfair, and I tear up every time she posts something like this about her beloved husband:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by E. (@mrserikakirk)

The post Sinclair Broadcast Group Demands Jimmy Kimmel Apologize To Charlie Kirk’s Family & Make Donation To Turning Point USA If He Wants To Return To Their ABC Affiliates first appeared on Whiskey Riff.