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<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">NEW YORK<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Jimmy Kimmel returned to &ldquo;Jimmy Kimmel Live!&rdquo; on Tuesday after an almost weeklong suspension, saying he never intended to make light of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and apologizing to anyone who found his remarks hurtful.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television Tuesday after a nearly weeklong suspension and grew emotional, saying he was not trying to joke about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;I have no illusions about changing anyone&rsquo;s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it&rsquo;s important to me as a human,&rdquo; Kimmel said, his voice breaking. &ldquo;You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s anything funny about it.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kimmel said it was not his intention to blame any specific group for the killing, which he described as the act of a disturbed individual. He acknowledged that his comments may have felt &ldquo;ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kimmel criticized ABC affiliates that pulled his show off the air. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not legal. That&rsquo;s not American. It&rsquo;s un-American,&rdquo; he said. Two major station groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, representing about a quarter of ABC affiliates, had announced they would not air his program Tuesday.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Praise for Supporters</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He thanked those who defended him, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. &ldquo;It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration. They did and they deserve credit for it,&rdquo; Kimmel said.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kimmel also praised Kirk&rsquo;s widow, who publicly forgave her husband&rsquo;s killer, calling it a powerful moment.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Network Suspension and Return</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ABC suspended Kimmel&rsquo;s show last week after criticism of his comments but reinstated him Monday after what it called &ldquo;thoughtful conversations&rdquo; with the host. Kimmel admitted he was angry at first but praised his bosses for ultimately returning him to the air.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He also mocked former President Donald Trump for celebrating his suspension. &ldquo;He tried his best to cancel me and instead he forced millions of people to watch this show,&rdquo; Kimmel said.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stations Opt Out</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decisions by Sinclair and Nexstar meant ABC stations in Washington, D.C.; St. Louis; Nashville, Tennessee; and Richmond, Virginia, aired other programming. WJLA-TV, a Sinclair-owned station in Washington, broadcast a newscast and &ldquo;The National Desk&rdquo; instead.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FCC Chair and Backlash</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr accused Kimmel of trying to &ldquo;mislead the American public&rdquo; about Tyler Robinson, the man charged with Kirk&rsquo;s killing. Carr warned that networks could face consequences if they did not act.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His remarks drew backlash. Cruz compared Carr to &ldquo;a mafioso,&rdquo; while hundreds of entertainment figures, including Tom Hanks and Barbra Streisand, signed a letter calling ABC&rsquo;s suspension &ldquo;a dark moment for freedom of speech.&rdquo;<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Celebrity and Public Support</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Podcaster Joe Rogan defended Kimmel, arguing that the government should never dictate what comedians can say. Some consumers canceled Disney streaming subscriptions in protest of the suspension.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Actor Robert De Niro joined Kimmel&rsquo;s return, portraying Carr in a skit. The show opened with a standing ovation and chants of &ldquo;Jimmy, Jimmy.&rdquo;<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump&rsquo;s Reaction&nbsp;</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump hailed Kimmel&rsquo;s suspension on his Truth Social platform, calling him unfunny and harmful to ABC. His administration has frequently clashed with media organizations through lawsuits and funding cuts.<div class="fr-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115256938634035559/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, the late-night industry faces shifts as audiences increasingly watch online highlights. CBS canceled Stephen Colbert&rsquo;s show earlier this year. Kimmel&rsquo;s current contract with ABC runs through May.

This image released by Disney shows Jimmy Kimmel hosting his late night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Randy Holmes/Disney via AP)

Entertainment

Jimmy Kimmel returned to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday after an almost weeklong suspension, saying he never intended to make light of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and apologizing to anyone who found his remarks hurtful.

Kimmel returns, says he never meant to make light of Kirk's killing

LOS ANGELES: Jimmy Kimmel&#39;s late-night television show has been taken off air &quot;indefinitely&quot; after the host was criticized for comments about the motives behind the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, ABC said.&quot;Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,&quot; an ABC spokesperson told AFP, using a television industry term for when a show is replaced or removed from the schedule.Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead last week during a speaking event on a Utah university campus.Authorities said 22-year-old Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. He was arrested and has been formally charged with his murder.On Monday, Kimmel spoke about the shooting in his popular late-night show&#39;s monologue.MAGA movement&nbsp;&quot;We had 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 with everything they can to score political points from it,&quot; said Kimmel.&quot;MAGA&quot; refers to the president&#39;s &quot;Make America Great Again&quot; movement.The White House this week said it would be pursuing an alleged left-wing &quot;domestic terror movement&quot; in the wake of Kirk&#39;s killing, prompting alarm that such a campaign could be used to silence political dissent.

Jimmy Kimmel's show was pulled off air indefinitely after backlash over his monologue criticizing MAGA supporters’ response to the killing of conservative figure Charlie Kirk at a Utah campus event.

Articles tagged with "ABC"

Kimmel returns, says he never meant to make light of Kirk's killing

ABC says Jimmy Kimmel off air 'indefinitely' after Charlie Kirk comments