The Charlie Kirk TV special planned to replace “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Friday didn’t air as scheduled.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which operates 178 ABC television stations in 81 markets, announced Wednesday that it would use his late night timeslot for a tribute special to Kirk, who was killed on Sept. 10.

But the media giant reversed course at the last minute, claiming it had decided to post the Kirk special on YouTube, not on its ABC local stations, so that “viewers can continue to enjoy ABC programming.”

On Friday, the 11:35 p.m. one-hour slot on ABC was a rerun of Steve Harvey’s “Celebrity Family Feud.” ABC, which is owned by Disney, also ran “Celebrity Family Feud” episodes on Sept. 17 and 18 after “indefinitely” suspending Kimmel’s show over on-air comments he made about Kirk’s alleged killer and MAGA’s reaction.

A statement posted Friday at 11:24 p.m. ET from the company said: “Tonight, Sinclair will continue to air ABC network programming as scheduled in the late-night time period. 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.”

It is unclear whether “Celebrity Family Feud” will continue to fill the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” slot on Monday. Kimmel is scheduled to return to his late-night talk show on Tuesday,

Jason Smith, Sinclair’s vice chairman, denounced the popular comedian’s remarks — calling them “inappropriate” and “deeply insensitive.”

Outside of pulling the long-running late night show off the airwaves, the high-ranking executive also demanded an apology from Kimmel and said he wanted him to send “a meaningful personal donation” to Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA, the ultra-conservative organization Kirk founded.

Smith further clarified that Sinclair stations — considered the nation’s largest group of ABC local TV affiliates — will not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” until “we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”

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