“In recent days, we’ve had thoughtful discussions with Jimmy, and after those talks, we’ve decided to bring the show back on Tuesday,” stated the network.
ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely after comments he made about Kirk, who was killed September 10, in a monologue.Â
Kimmel commented that “many in the MAGA community are making a strong effort to cash in on Charlie Kirk’s murder” and noted that “the MAGA crowd” is “eagerly trying to portray the teen who killed Charlie Kirk as someone not associated with them.”
Last summer, in an interview with Variety, Kimmel was questioned about his concerns that the administration might target comedians. He admitted he was worried about a possible crackdown.
“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 happened while Trump and his administration were applying pressure through threats, lawsuits, and governmental influence to gain more control over the media. Trump had settled disputes with ABC and CBS about their reporting.
Additionally, Trump has sued The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for defamation. Meanwhile, federal funding for NPR and PBS has been withdrawn by Republicans in Congress.
Brendan Carr, who leads the Federal Communications Commission, issued a cautionary statement before Kimmel’s suspension, criticizing Kimmel’s comments on 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.”
Carr denied on Monday that he threatened to revoke ABC’s local station licences because of Kimmel’s remarks.
Do you think Jimmy Kimmel should have been taken off air?
“Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation he’s in because of his ratings. Not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government level,” Carr said at the Concordia Annual Summit.
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.
