Jimmy Kimmel has used his first social media post since the suspension of his late-night show to subtly address the controversy.
On Tuesday, the 57-year-old host shared a photo of himself with iconic TV creator, anti-Trump figure and free speech advocate Norman Lear on Instagram Tuesday, writing, “Missing this guy today.”
Kimmel’s post came just hours before he was set to make his comeback. Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would resume airing Tuesday, only days after the show was pulled amid threats from FCC chair Brendan Carr and MAGA outrage over comments the comedian made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Lear, who passed away at age 101 in 2023, was the creator of primetime 1970s sitcoms such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son, and a longtime champion of progressive causes.
He was famously outspoken against the FCC, bringing a successful lawsuit against the regulator in 1976 after its nationwide “family viewing time” ruling required all programming between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. to be suitable for all ages.
The suit led to a California federal court striking down the policy, ruling that it violated the First Amendment.
That same decade, Lear was placed on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list” for helming All in the Family, which broke new ground in tackling social and political issues, according to the New York Post.
Lear was also a frequent critic of Donald Trump, telling the Daily Beast in 2016 that the billionaire was a “thorough fool.”
Kimmel’s suspension sparked an uproar over the state of free speech, with calls to boycott ABC and its parent company, Disney. On Monday, 400 Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Aniston, signed an open letter condemning the suspension.
Kimmel’s Instagram post Tuesday was quickly liked by Aniston and a host of other celebrities, the Daily Mail reported. Ex-talk show host Rosie O’Donnell commented, “kill it tonight – feel all the love ❤️”
In its statement announcing the return of Kimmel’s show, Disney explained that the decision to take him off the air was made after the company deemed his comments “ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
“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,” it said.
However, a quarter of local ABC stations will not show Jimmy Kimmel Live when it airs at 11:35 p.m. EST on Tuesday, as MAGA-friendly affiliate giants Sinclair and Nexstar have announced that they would continue to preempt the show.
The backlash against Kimmel stems from the host’s suggestion on his Sept. 15 show that Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, was likely connected to the “MAGA gang.”
Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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.”
The post Jimmy Kimmel Posts Pic With Trump Hater Hours Before Comeback appeared first on The Daily Beast.
