Nexstar and Sinclair will air new episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! from tonight

US station group owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair have lifted their respective boycotts on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, after dropping the ABC show following remarks the late-night host made about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

On Friday, Nexstar said it had reached the decision after discussions with Disney executives, and that it “appreciated their constructive approach to addressing our concerns,” while Sinclair said its talks with Mouse House execs were “productive.”

Both companies noted that the decisions to pull and return Kimmel to their station coverage has not been influenced by the US government, with Nexstar claiming its “decisions throughout this process” had been “independent of any external influence from government agencies or individuals.”

ABC affiliates for Nexstar and Sinclair showed a re-run of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday night and will air new episodes from tonight.

On September 17, Nexstar and Sinclair made headlines when they announced they would “pre-empt” Jimmy Kimmel Live!, meaning they would replace the show with other programming.

At the time, Nexstar said that “continuing to give Mr Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time,” while Sinclair called the comments “inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country.”

The decision drew condemnation from some quarters, with some suggesting Nexstar was attempting to curry favour with the Federal Communications Commission as it seeks to get its US$6.2bn acquisition of fellow station group Tegna approved.

Shortly after Nexstar and Sinclair said they would drop the show, Disney and ABC said it was suspending it “indefinitely,” sparking international headlines and igniting a debate over free speech.

Last Monday, Disney announced it was bringing Kimmel back, with his show returning on Tuesday night with ratings roughly quadrupling compared with an average episode.

Disney’s decision to bring Kimmel back angered Donald Trump, with the US president suggesting he would take legal action against the media giant.

“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” wrote Trump on Truth Social. “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”