NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show on Tuesday after ABC pulled the host off the air indefinitely in the wake of criticism over his comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month.
Kimmel was emotional during his opening monologue, nearly breaking down at least twice when he told his audience “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” and praising Erika Kirk for her forgiveness of her husband’s killer.
“That is an example we should follow,” he said. “If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was … A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. And I hope it touches many.
Kimmel’s comments that led to his suspension did not extensively focus on Kirk, who was a close ally of President Donald Trump, but took aim at Trump and what Kimmel called his “MAGA Gang” of supporters for their response to the Sept. 10 killing.
Two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, Nexstar and Sinclair, did not carry Kimmel’s return on their stations, which represent about 25% of all affiliates. They had stopped airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in reaction to Kimmel’s comments related to Kirk.
Here’s what we know:
Kimmel’s show was first suspended, then reinstated
Initially, ABC did not explain why on Wednesday it indefinitely suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” which the network has aired since 2003. But Nexstar and Sinclair cited “problematic comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
On Monday, The Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC, offered more of an explanation: “We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and had warned that the network and its local affiliates could face repercussions if Kimmel was not punished. On Monday, Carr denied that he threatened to revoke ABC’s local station licenses over Kimmel’s remarks.
In putting Kimmel back on air, The Walt Disney Co. said “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’s comments after Kirk’s death
Kimmel called Kirk’s death a “senseless murder” a day after the fatal Utah shooting, and he condemned those who appeared to celebrate it — as well as Trump for trying to cast blame on the “radical left.”
He also talked about the aftermath during his show the following week, targeting the response from both Trump and the president’s supporters, whom he accused of “working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
The comic focused particularly on the man accused of the killing, Tyler Robinson.
“The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said in his monologue last Monday. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Kimmel said Trump’s response “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” He also said that FBI chief Kash Patel has handled the investigation into the killing “like a kid who didn’t read the book, BSing his way through an oral report.”
On Sept. 16, Kimmel mocked Vice President JD Vance’s performance as guest host for Kirk’s podcast.
Trump’s response to the suspension
Kimmel’s suspension came alongside wider efforts by Trump and other conservatives to police speech after Kirk’s killing. It also marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to influence the U.S. media landscape.
In a post on his Truth Social platform after Kimmel’s suspension, Trump applauded ABC for “finally having the courage to do what had to be done” and claimed that Kimmel “has ZERO talent” — focusing on what he said were bad ratings, while lambasting other names in late-night TV.
Shortly before Kimmel’s show aired Tuesday, Trump posted his first reaction to the host’s return on Truth Social: “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back … Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
How others responded to Kimmel’s suspension
Kimmel’s suspension drew both condemnation and praise.
Former President Barack Obama wrote in a social media post Thursday that the current administration had reached a “new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like” — and that media companies needed to stand up to the “government coercion” rather than capitulate to it.
Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News and NBC personality, maintained that Kimmel’s suggestion that Kirk’s killer may have been a Trump supporter was a “vile, disgusting lie.”
Others expressed shock and concern over what the move meant for free speech, including actor Jean Smart. “What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda,” Smart wrote on social media, noting that she was still “sickened” by Kirk’s death.
Congressional Democrats later unveiled a bill aimed at bolstering free speech protections against government officials. While it’s unlikely to gain traction in a Republican-controlled Congress, the move echoed sharp criticism over Kimmel’s suspension. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also called for Carr’s firing.
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AP Media Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.
Wyatte Grantham-philips, The Associated Press
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