ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the air Tuesday night, less than a week after the late-night show was suspended in response to comments made by its host.
The network had initially declared the program suspended “indefinitely” following Kimmel’s remarks about the political reaction to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.
“In an effort to avoid further inflaming an already tense and emotional moment for our country, we decided last Wednesday to pause production on the show,” ABC’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement Monday. “We believed some of Jimmy’s comments were poorly timed and therefore insensitive. Over the past several days, we’ve had constructive conversations with Jimmy, and together we decided the show will return on Tuesday.”
Kimmel’s suspension stemmed from his Sept. 15 monologue, during which he accused President Trump’s supporters of trying to “score political points” by labeling Kirk’s accused killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as a left-wing extremist, adding that Robinson was “one of them.”
Kimmel’s remarks triggered a strong backlash, prompting Nexstar — the nation’s largest local TV station owner — to announce it would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from all of its affiliates. In response, Disney halted production on the show.
The controversy deepened when FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned earlier in the day that he was prepared to “take action” against Kimmel for his comments. “Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said during a conversation with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.
On Monday, more than 400 Hollywood actors and entertainers pushed back, signing an open letter condemning what they described as threats to free speech posed by Kimmel’s suspension.
“Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics at all, we all love our country,” the letter stated. “We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power — because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”
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