Erika Kirk, the widow of slain right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, revealed Tuesday that she had rejected an offer from Sinclair Broadcasting Group to have Jimmy Kimmel apologize to her after his controversial remarks that led to his show’s short-lived cancellation.
Kimmel’s late-night talk show was briefly cancelled after he mocked President Donald Trump's reaction to the killing, and after Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr threatened to pull ABC’s license over the remarks. While his show was quickly reinstated, prominent Republicans – including Vice President JD Vance – would go on to attack Kimmel for his remarks, and defend his show’s cancellation.
Speaking with Fox News’ Jesse Watters in an interview published on Tuesday, Kirk revealed for the first time that Sinclair, which owns many station affiliated with ABC, had actually reached out to her to gauge her interest in receiving a direct apology from Kimmel.
“They asked – I haven’t really told anybody this – ‘do you want Jimmy to give you an apology? Do you want to be on his show? How can we make it right?’” Kirk told Watters.
“Through our team, I responded: I said [to] tell them thank you, [that] we received their note. This is not our issue, not our mess. If you want to say I’m sorry to someone who’s grieving, go right ahead, but if that’s not in your heart, don’t do it. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.”
Kirk has gone on to become the CEO of Turning Point USA, the conservative advocacy organization co-founded by her late husband, and continues to be a prominent voice in the conservative sphere.