Jimmy Kimmel will return to local TV behemoth Sinclair’s ABC stations

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free

Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world

Sinclair Broadcast Group said it would resume broadcasts of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, days after the comedian returned to the ABC network following his suspension by parent company Disney over remarks he made about the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Sinclair and Nexstar, which both own large networks of local ABC station affiliates totalling just under a quarter of its US audience, refused to carry the Kimmel show in the wake of his comments.

But Sinclair reversed its decision and would return Kimmel to the air on its 38 ABC-affiliated stations on Friday night, the company said on Friday.

The move to block the show had received criticism from members of both political parties, including Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, for infringing on free speech.

But US President Donald Trump and Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, had taken a hard line on Disney and the Kimmel show.

Carr, who leads the communications regulator, warned broadcasters who aired Kimmel could face fines or possibly lose their broadcast licenses. He suggested Disney could face a “serious” problem over the comedian’s remarks.

Sinclair said its decision not to run the Kimmel show was made “independent of any government interaction or influence”.

“Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations,” the company said.

The Kimmel show is off air on 32 ABC stations owned by Nexstar. The company is seeking approval from the FCC for a $6.2bn merger with rival Tegna.

Kimmel returned to the air on Tuesday, drawing in 6.2mn TV viewers — far exceeding his average of just under 2mn. Tuesday’s show has received more than 21mn views on YouTube.

Sinclair said it had proposed to ABC the idea of appointing an independent ombudsman, among other ideas, but the company has not taken on any of the suggestions.

Bob Iger, Disney chief executive, and Dana Walden, who oversees television and streaming for the group, halted Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” last week after the comedian accused Trump supporters of seeking to win political points from the Kirk shooting.

Kimmel said figures in the president’s Maga movement were “desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them”.

After protest and criticism of the suspension, Disney announced the return of the show on Monday.

In his monologue on Tuesday, Kimmel said his remarks were “either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both”.