Jimmy Kimmel made his return to late-night TV on Tuesday, to the delight of the audience on hand but to the dismay of President Donald Trump.
Kimmel was briefly suspended from hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after controversial remarks he made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ABC suspended the program after Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group — companies that own multiple ABC stations — said they would preempt the show.
On Monday, ABC announced Kimmel could return. Before his return on Tuesday, Sinclair and Nexstar said they would follow through with blocking the program from airing in dozens of markets.
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Kimmel opened his monologue by thanking his fans and other late-night hosts who offered their support. He also thanked ABC for defending “my right to poke fun at our leaders and to advocate for subjects that I think are important by allowing me to use their platform.” He then acknowledged the support he received from conservatives who expressed concern that his suspension was tied to pending regulatory approvals by the Trump administration.
“And maybe weirdly, maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,” he said. “People who I never would have imagined like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, even my old pal Ted Cruz, who, believe it or not, said something very beautiful on my behalf,” which led to a clip saying that government censorship would “end up badly for conservatives.”
“He’s absolutely right,” Kimmel added. “This affects all of us, including him. I mean, think about it. If Ted Cruz can’t speak freely, then he can’t cast spells on the Smurfs.”
Addressing the comments he made last week, Kimmel said it was never his intention to make light of Kirk’s killing.
“I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion — and I meant it; I still do,” Kimmel said. “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of 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.”
Trump threatens ABC with legal action
As Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social his frustration with ABC allowing Kimmel to return.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!” Trump wrote. “Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.
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“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”
Trump was referring to a 2024 settlement with ABC after anchor George Stephanopoulos made an incorrect claim that he had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
Could Trump’s FCC take action?
While ABC itself owns only a handful of stations, mostly in large cities such as New York and Los Angeles, most of its programming is carried by affiliates. The E.W. Scripps Co., parent company of Scripps News, owns ABC stations in several major cities, including Phoenix, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Nexstar and Sinclair also own dozens of stations that carry ABC programming. Nexstar is attempting to finalize a merger with Tegna, which would require Federal Communications Commission approval. FCC Chair Brendan Carr claimed that Democrats were upset that Nexstar and Sinclair preempted Kimmel’s program.
“Notably, this is the first time recently that any local TV stations have pushed back on a national programmer like Disney,” Carr said. “And that is a good thing because we want empowered local TV stations. After all, local TV stations — not the national programmers — have public interest obligations, and they should be making decisions that in their view meet the needs of their local communities.”
Kimmel addressed free speech concerns during his return Tuesday.
“The FCC has a tradition of meddling where they shouldn’t under many administrations, but it wasn’t always like this,” Kimmel said. “There was an FCC commissioner back in 2022 who worked under Joe Biden who was spot on. He wrote, ‘President Biden is right. Political satire is one of the oldest and most important forms of free speech. It challenges those in power while using humor to draw more people into the discussion. That’s why people in influential positions have always targeted it for censorship.’ You know who wrote that? FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who later was appointed chairman of the FCC by this former crusader for free speech.”