Overview

• Sinclair said the late-night program returns Friday night, citing feedback from viewers and advertisers and referencing safety concerns including a shooting at an ABC affiliate in Sacramento.
• Disney’s ABC reinstated the show earlier this week after a brief suspension, with Kimmel’s return episode drawing about 6.3 million TV viewers and roughly 26 million social views.
• Nexstar continues to block the broadcast as it evaluates the show’s status in ongoing discussions with Disney.
• Sinclair asserted its decisions were independent of government influence, noted earlier demands for an apology and donation were not met, and said its proposal for an independent ombudsman has not been adopted.
• Democratic lawmakers opened an inquiry into whether the station groups’ actions relate to pending regulatory matters after FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly condemned Kimmel and flagged potential license scrutiny.