After a week-long suspension that started off as a controversy across media and political circles, Jimmy Kimmel returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, September 23, delivering an emotional monologue addressing the fallout from his comments about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel had been pulled off the air on Wednesday, September 17, after remarks in his Sept. 15 show were deemed “ill-timed and thus insensitive” by ABC’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company. The decision followed mounting pressure from conservative groups, political commentators, and major broadcasting partners Nexstar and Sinclair, both of which announced they would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! in their local markets.
In a statement released Monday, Disney explained: “We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country… We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Kimmel didn’t waste time acknowledging the controversy when he returned to a full studio audience who greeted him with a standing ovation. The show opened with a montage of news segments covering his suspension, followed by Kimmel and sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez dressed in humorous costumes, poking fun at the tension surrounding the episode.
“Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted,” Kimmel began, earning laughs and applause.
“If you’re just joining us, we are preempting your regularly scheduled encore episode of Celebrity Family Feud to bring you this special report,” he continued. “I’m happy to be here tonight with you.”
But the comedian soon took a more somber tone, revealing the emotional toll the past week had taken. “I’ve heard from all the people in the world over the last six days. Anyone I’ve ever met has reached out 10 or 11 times,” he said. “Weird characters from my past, or the guy who fired me from my first radio job in Seattle — not airing tonight by the way. Sorry Seattle, his name is Larry.”
Kimmel went on to thank his fans and fellow late-night hosts — including Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and even Jay Leno — for checking in on him during the suspension. He also acknowledged support from across the political aisle.
“And maybe weirdly, maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,” he said. “People who I never would have imagined — like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, even my old pal Ted Cruz — who believe it or not said something very beautiful on my behalf.”
Visibly emotional, Kimmel then addressed the core issue that led to the controversy — his remarks about Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. His accused killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder.
Kimmel clarified, “I do wanna 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… I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it and I still do.”
He admitted that his words may have come across as “ill-timed or unclear,” adding, “For those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way.”
In the original September 15 broadcast, Kimmel had criticized conservative reactions to the shooting and mocked Donald Trump’s response to Kirk’s death. “This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish,” he said at the time, referring to Trump changing the subject to ballroom renovations at the White House when asked about Kirk’s killing.
The segment triggered backlash, with the FCC’s Trump-appointed chairman Brendan Carr publicly supporting the decisions by Sinclair and Nexstar to pull the show. Sinclair later demanded that Kimmel apologize directly to the Kirk family and donate to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded.
Despite the controversy, Kimmel used his return to highlight the broader importance of free speech and press freedom. He pointed out that the Pentagon is reportedly asking journalists to sign pledges not to publish information without prior authorization — something he believes should concern the public more than his jokes.
“I know it’s not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, but it’s so important to have a free press, and it’s nuts that we aren’t paying more attention to it,” he said. “Walter Cronkite must be spinning in his grave. He’s dead, right?”
He concluded the monologue with a reflection on the role of comedy in democracy, invoking legendary figures like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Howard Stern.
“One thing I did learn from them is a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American,” he said.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 pm ET on ABC. However, viewers in some regions may still be unable to watch due to continued preemptions by Nexstar and Sinclair.