As it turned out, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s planned Charlie Kirk tribute special didn’t make it to air on its ABC stations. The telecommunications company, which controls the largest groups of ABC affiliates, decided to let the special run on YouTube instead of airing it in Jimmy Kimmel’s usual spot on Friday.
“Tonight, Sinclair will continue to air ABC network programming as scheduled in the late-night time period,” the company shared in an X post late on Friday night. “The Charlie Kirk special will instead be 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 National News Desk posted an hour-long YouTube video titled “The Life and Legacy of Charlie Kirk” on Friday; as of the time of this writing, it has around 27,000 views.)
Sinclair announced the special on Wednesday, the same day ABC announced it was suspending Kimmel and his late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, following the host’s comments about Kirk, a conservative activist fatally shot at an event in Utah earlier this month. The network’s decision came as Sinclair and fellow broadcasting group Nexstar decided to preempt the show on its stations.
In case you missed it, Kimmel said on his show Monday night that the “MAGA gang” was “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.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Sinclair said it would not lift its own suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC stations “until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.” The company also urged Kimmel to apologize directly to Kirk’s family and to make donations to the family and to Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization.
“Regardless of ABC’s plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”
Variety notes Sinclair has a history of championing conservative viewpoints and may be trying to cater to the Trump-era Federal Communications Commission as the FCC considers abolishing the “station cap” limiting how many TV stations a single entity can own.