With a tearful monologue, Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show on ABC Tuesday night after a nearly week-long suspension over comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel used his platform to address the controversy, apologize for his comments, and defend free speech.
He started by thanking his supporters, as well as those who don’t agree with him.
“I want to thank the people who don’t support my show or what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,” Kimmel told the audience.
He also expressed regret for how his comments about Kirk’s assassination were interpreted, which led to ABC suspending production of his show last Wednesday.
“Understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it … Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”
Kimmel’s suspension sparked a national firestorm over free speech and censorship, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatening regulatory action against ABC.
Countless celebrities, politicians and Kimmel’s fellow late-night hosts came to his defense. Disney, which owns ABC, also faced significant blowback from the public with many vowing to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions and boycott Disney entertainment and products.
Ultimately, Disney relented.
“I was not happy when they took me off the air… I did not agree with that decision and I told them that,” the late-night host said. “We had many conversations. I shared my point of view. They shared theirs. We talked it through.”
While “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is back on ABC, it is still not available across the entire country.
Two of the nation’s biggest broadcasters, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair, have announced they will continue to preempt Kimmel’s program on their ABC affiliates.
“We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” Nexstar said in a statement Tuesday morning. Nexstar is the parent company of KTLA.
Before Kimmel’s program aired, President Trump weighed in on social media, writing: “I can’t believe ABC gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his show was canceled. Something happened between then and now because his audience is gone and his talent was never there.”
Disney and ABC, however, never actually fired Kimmel.
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