Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Suspension In Return To Late Night Show
on Sep 23, 2025
Jimmy Kimmel returned to television Tuesday night (September 23) after a weeklong suspension due to comments made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Jimmy Kimmel Live was pulled from the air following “ill-timed and insensitive” comments made by the host in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
Nexstar Media Group, which owns roughly 30 ABC affiliate stations in large markets, announced on Wednesday, September 17, that it would immediately preempt the show. Sinclair, owners of 40 ABC affiliates, followed suit, replacing Jimmy Kimmel Live with other programming.
Disney, Nexstar, and Sinclair’s decisions were made after FCC chair Brendan Carr announced that the agency would investigate “news distortion” complaints against ABC unless Jimmy Kimmel Live was taken off the air.
The decision sparked backlash from both sides of the political fence, with many citing that the suspension violated Kimmel’s First Amendment rights. However, Nexstar and Sinclair stood firm, even after ABC’s parent company, Disney, announced their decision to allow Kimmel to return to his show.
“Last Wednesday, 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. 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,” Disney shared in a statement.
Jimmy Kimmel Live returned to television Tuesday night in limited markets and on streaming services.
What did Jimmy Kimmel say about his suspension when he returned to tv?
Thousands of viewers tuned in to Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday night to find out how the talk show host would address his recent suspension.
Tidbits of his opening monologue began to emerge as the audience exited the theater after filming. Those in attendance reported that while Kimmel didn’t apologize for his comments, he made it clear that he wasn’t trying to offend any particular group with his comments. They also revealed that the host was emotional as he spoke of the events of the last week.
When the show aired, it was clear that the energy had shifted. He was met with a lengthy standing ovation as he took the stage.
Kimmel made some light-hearted jokes about his suspension before turning serious and addressing last week’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder. He got emotional as he told the audience, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
He added that it wasn’t his “intention to blame any specific group for the actions what — it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both. And 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.”
Jimmy Kimmel praised Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika.
Kimmel couldn’t hide his emotion as he spoke about Erika Kirk’s impactful moment at her late husband’s memorial service.
“She forgave him,” Kimmel said of Erika’s forgiveness of Charlie’s alleged shooter. “That is an example we should follow.”
“If you believe in the teachings of Jesus, as I do, there it was. That, that’s it. A selfless act of grace. Forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply, and I hope it touches many. And if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that.”
Kimmel said that he disagreed with Disney’s decision to pull his talk show.
Kimmel, who has hosted his self-titled talk show on ABC since 2003, praised ABC and its parent company, Disney for allowing him to “evolve and to stretch the boundaries of what was once traditional for a late night talk show, even when it made them uncomfortable.”
But he made it clear that he didn’t agree with their decision to pull his show last week.
“We had many conversations. I shared my point of view, they shared theirs. We talked it through, and at the end, even though they didn’t have to, they really didn’t have to this is a giant company. We have short attention spans, and I am a tiny part of the Disney Corporation. They welcomed me back on the air, and I thank them for that.”
Kimmel then turned his attention to the president, saying that Trump “can’t take a joke” and “celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods.” He also accused the president of bullying comedians and journalists
Watch Jimmy Kimmel’s “most anticipated monologue in late night” in the video below:
What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk’s death?
In his opening monologue on Monday, September 15, Kimmel accused political conservatives of blaming suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, and his left-wing ideology as the motive behind the killing of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel implied that Robinson, whose parents are reportedly supporters of Donald Trump, was also right-leaning and that “the MAGA gang” was denying that Robinson was “one of them.”
“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,” Kimmel said.
See Jimmy Kimmel’s full comments about Charlie Kirk’s death and Tyler Robinson that led to the suspension in the video below.
