Sinclair announced on September 17, 2025, that its ABC stations would air a Charlie Kirk remembrance special during Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s Friday timeslot. That was the plan, not what ultimately happened: later reporting said Sinclair moved the special to its streaming platform and kept an ABC game show in the slot. Sinclair ended its preemption of Kimmel’s show on September 26.
Did Sinclair air the tribute during Jimmy Kimmel’s time slot?
No. Sinclair announced the special for that slot, but the schedule changed. Variety reported on September 23, 2025, that Sinclair moved the special to its streaming platform and left an ABC game show in the timeslot. The available reporting therefore supports describing the tribute as planned for the slot, then moved—not as having aired there.
What Sinclair announced on September 17
Sinclair said it had decided to indefinitely preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC stations. The company’s statement said ABC had suspended production of the program after discussions with Sinclair. Sinclair then announced that a Charlie Kirk remembrance special would air Friday during the program’s timeslot, run across Sinclair stations over the weekend, and be offered to ABC affiliates nationwide. Sinclair’s September 17 announcement was distributed by Business Wire and republished by Nasdaq.
For context, ABC’s official schedule, dated September 5, 2025, listed Jimmy Kimmel Live! on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EDT. The announcement concerned the show’s timeslot on Sinclair’s ABC stations; it did not mean that every ABC affiliate nationwide was required to follow Sinclair’s plan. ABC’s schedule
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How the schedule changed
- September 17: Sinclair announced the planned Friday special and said it would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC stations. Sinclair’s statement
- September 23: Variety reported that Sinclair had moved the special to its streaming platform and an ABC game show remained in the timeslot. Variety’s report
- September 26: ABC News reported that Sinclair ended its preemption and that the show would return to Sinclair’s affiliate stations that evening. ABC News’ report
Why Sinclair said it was preempting the show
Sinclair vice chairman Jason Smith said on September 17: “Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country.” Sinclair said broadcasters should encourage “respectful, constructive dialogue,” called for FCC action, and asked Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family and make a personal donation to the family and Turning Point USA. These were the company’s stated position and requests, not independently established findings about its motives. Sinclair’s statement
In its September 26 statement, Sinclair said its objective was to keep programming “accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience.” ABC News reported that Sinclair cited feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders, and said it had proposed measures including an independent network-wide ombudsman that ABC had not adopted. Sinclair also said its preemption decision was independent of government interaction or influence. Those points are Sinclair’s claims as reported by ABC News, not independent verification of how the decision was made. ABC News’ report
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the station count means
Sinclair described itself in its September 17 statement as operating 178 television stations in 81 markets. Those are company-reported figures that give context to the scale of the initial announcement; they do not establish how many stations ultimately aired the special. Sinclair’s statement
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