Cantwell, advertisers pressure Seattle’s KOMO to air Jimmy Kimmel show
Sep. 24, 2025 at 7:51 pm
This image released by Disney shows Jimmy Kimmel hosting his late night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Randy Holmes / Disney via AP)
By
Caitlyn Freeman
Seattle Times breaking news reporter
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a top Democrat on the Senate committee overseeing the Federal Communications Commission, called for Sinclair Broadcast Group to reinstate “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on more than two dozen ABC affiliates, including KOMO in Seattle.
Meanwhile, a social media campaign has called on advertisers to cut ties with the Seattle TV station.
Cantwell, D-Wash., wrote to Sinclair’s CEO, Christopher Ripley, expressing her disappointment in the company’s decision to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The First Amendment ensures the freedom of expression and a free press, and our nation’s media landscape needs to embody those ideals,” Cantwell wrote. “As a trusted voice in the community, local broadcasting is a critical part of that landscape.”
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell speaks during a Boeing Machinists union strike rally at the Seattle Union Hall. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times, 2024)
Cantwell sits on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which oversees the FCC.
Cantwell’s letter is the latest chapter in the saga that began last week when ABC suspended the longtime late-night host after his comments about pro-Trump conservatives capitalizing on Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Kimmel also said the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
The Walt Disney Company, ABC’s owner, reversed on Monday after backlash and protests, and the host returned on Tuesday.
However, Sinclair refused to air the show on its ABC affiliates and replaced it with news programming. Sinclair previously demanded a public apology from Kimmel and a donation to Turning Point USA, Kirk’s conservative activist group, or else affiliates wouldn’t air the show.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” Sinclair said in a Monday post to X.
A spokesperson for Sinclair has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
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Kimmel said he never intended to make light of Kirk’s death in his monologue Tuesday night.
“I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human, and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
While he didn’t apologize for his comments, he did bash ABC affiliates who refused to air his show.
“That’s not American,” he said. “It’s un-American.”
In Seattle, KOMO split Kimmel’s hourlong time slot with local news coverage and a half-hour of content from Sinclair’s national news desk on Tuesday night. Sinclair’s national desk is known for having a right-leaning spin and commentaries.
Cantwell also cited Kimmel’s popularity in the Puget Sound as a reason for its return. She said KOMO is one of the most popular stations in the area. Kimmel addressed over 6 million broadcast viewers Tuesday night, The New York Times reported.
“Your decision not to reinstate comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show appears contrary to the inherently local aspects of your station licenses, given the popularity of Mr. Kimmel’s show in the market,” Cantwell wrote. “I urge you to return Mr. Kimmel’s show to KOMO-TV.”
Nexstar Media Group also preempted the show. Nexstar and Sinclair own 70 ABC affiliates combined.
The decision by Sinclair and Nexstar has sparked free speech debates, as TV and radio stations operate in federally regulated airspace.
“Sinclair is asking Jimmy Kimmel for an apology? They have it backward,” Washington’s Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a post to X. “They owe him an apology.”
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Ferguson spent more than $1 million on advertising with KOMO during his election campaign.
Some local advertisers have pulled their ads from the Seattle TV station in response to Sinclair’s decision.
“In response to both ABC and Sinclair’s actions to limit free speech, (the Seattle Theatre Group) has paused all scheduled advertising with KOMO,” Rachel Liuzzi, spokesperson for the theater group, said in an email.
Other advertisers targeted by a social media campaign, including BECU and the Seattle Opera, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Seattle Times.
Protests have sprung up in front of KOMO Plaza in Seattle, and an online petition with over 1,700 signatures was urging the station to air Kimmel’s show.
Allen Goldstein started the #CancelKOMO campaign and has spent the past few days pushing local businesses to pull advertising. He believes Sinclair has a history of “irresponsible journalism.”
“Jimmy Kimmel was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back,” he said. “It’s been building for a little while. I thought to myself, ‘OK, well if we can hit these guys in the pocketbook, if we can reduce their income, then they’ll notice.’”
Seattle Times staff reporter Jim Brunner contributed to this report.
Caitlyn Freeman is a breaking news reporter at The Seattle Times
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