NEW YORK (AP) — ABC has decided to bring back Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show following criticism over his remarks regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the network announced on Monday.

“After engaging in deep and thoughtful discussions with Jimmy, we concluded that resuming the show on Tuesday was the appropriate decision,” a network statement revealed.

Kimmel faced an indefinite suspension from ABC due to his comments in a monologue about Kirk, who was killed on September 10. During the segment, Kimmel remarked, “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk,” and referred to “the MAGA gang” as “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Kimmel has been hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003 and is a longstanding figure in television and comedy. He is also renowned as an awards show host, having emceed the Oscars four times.

The reaction to Kimmel’s comments about Kirk was immediate. Nexstar and Sinclair, two major owners of ABC affiliates, announced they would cease airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on their stations. However, several fellow comedians and others defended him.

Former President Donald Trump, who Kimmel frequently critiques, mentioned online that Kimmel’s suspension was “great news for America” and suggested other late-night hosts should also be dismissed.

Kimmel was asked in an interview with Variety this past summer if he was worried that the administration would come after comedians. He expressed concern that a crackdown could be on the way.

“Well, you’d have to be naive not to worry a little bit,” he said. “But that can’t change what you’re doing.”

Kimmel’s suspension arrived in a time when Trump and his administration have pursued threats, lawsuits and federal government pressure to try to exert more control over the media industry. Trump has reached settlements with ABC and CBS over their coverage.

Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Republicans in Congress stripped federal funding from NPR and PBS.

Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, issued a warning prior to Kimmel’s suspension that criticized Kimmel’s remarks about the Kirk assassination.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

The suspension also happened at a time when the late night landscape is shifting. CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show over the summer

Kimmel’s contract with The Walt Disney Co.-owned network had been set to expire in May 2026.

Word of the reinstatement came as hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars — including Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep — urged Americans “fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights” in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.

More than 430 movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names to an open letter Monday from the American Civil Liberties Union that argues it is “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”

Also Monday, ABC’s “The View” weighed in on the controversy after not raising it for two episodes after Kimmel was suspended. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg opened the show saying: “No one silences us” and she and her fellow hosts condemned Disney’s decision.