Six days after ABC pulled his late-night show off the air, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the studio to a standing ovation. He opened with a wry quip: “As I was saying before I was interrupted…,” drawing laughter from the audience.
He continued, “If you’re just tuning in, we’re pre-empting your regularly scheduled Celebrity Family Feud encore to bring you this special report.”
Last week, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended indefinitely by ABC’s parent company following on-air remarks Kimmel made about the September 10 fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. His comments, which referenced reactions from supporters of former President Donald Trump, prompted harsh criticism from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who suggested Kimmel be suspended.
Soon after, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced they would drop Kimmel’s show from their ABC affiliates. Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC, initially followed suit but reversed course this week, confirming the show’s return.
On Tuesday, September 23, Kimmel described efforts to silence him as “un-American” and thanked viewers for their support. His monologue blended serious reflection with tongue-in-cheek jabs at the Trump administration and the Disney boycott movement. Early on, he jokingly read instructions for restoring Disney+ and Hulu accounts, calling it a “condition” for his return.
Kimmel expressed gratitude for the wide range of support he’d received—not only from friends and fellow comedians like Jimmy Fallon and Jon Stewart but also from conservative figures such as Ben Shapiro and Senator Ted Cruz, who criticized the perceived violation of free speech.
“I’ve been told a lot about what I need to say tonight, but honestly, I don’t think my words will change anyone’s mind,” Kimmel said. “If you like me, you like me. If you don’t, you don’t. But I do want to make one thing clear: It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
Kimmel grew emotional twice during the broadcast, echoing sentiments he’d shared earlier on social media, where he sent condolences to Kirk’s family.
Former President Trump also weighed in last week, urging Kimmel’s removal and suggesting that late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers should be “next.” Kimmel responded with jokes, including clips of those same hosts previously defending free speech.
Later in the show, actor Robert De Niro appeared remotely in a comedic bit as a fictional FCC chairman “using mob tactics to suppress free speech,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to De Niro’s history of mob roles.
Kimmel reminded the audience that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has aired nearly 4,000 episodes over 23 years on ABC but is currently unavailable in 20% of the country. While he disagreed with last week’s suspension, he thanked Disney for reinstating him, adding, “Unfortunately—and unfairly, I think—this decision puts them at risk.”
