Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Jimmy Kimmel returned to U.S. late-night television on Tuesday defending political satire against Trump administration &quot;bullying&quot;, six days after his on-air remarks about the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk led Walt Disney DIS.N to suspend his show.&nbsp;Disney&#39;s decision to cut short Kimmel&#39;s exile for comments it initially labeled as &quot;ill-timed&quot; and &quot;insensitive&quot; marked a high-profile act of corporate defiance in the face of Trump&#39;s escalating crackdown on perceived enemies in the media through litigation and regulatory threats.&nbsp;Still, in his first night back on air in nearly a week, Kimmel jockeyed between his usual brand of wry wit and a more sober, sensitive tone addressing the uproar his earlier commentary had unleashed.&nbsp;&quot;It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don&#39;t think there&#39;s anything funny about it,&quot; the &quot;Jimmy Kimmel Live!&quot; host told viewers, his voice choking with emotion, moments after taking the stage to a standing ovation.&nbsp;&quot;Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual - that was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make,&quot; Kimmel, 57, added.&nbsp;Disney, parent company of the ABC network that airs his show, halted its production on September 17, two days after Kimmel said in his opening monologue that President Donald Trump&#39;s supporters were eager to characterize Kirk&#39;s accused assassin &quot;as anything other than one of them&quot; and accused them of trying to &quot;score political points&quot; from his killing.&nbsp;The Trump administration and many of its supporters voiced outrage at Kimmel&#39;s comments, which came five days after Kirk, a close Trump ally and radio-podcast host, was shot dead while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.&nbsp;In response to Kimmel&#39;s remarks, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr had threatened an investigation and urged television stations to drop Kimmel&#39;s show or face possible fines and revocation of their broadcast licenses.&nbsp;&quot;We can do this the easy way or the hard way,&quot; Carr said then.&nbsp;THANKING HIS DETRACTORSA short time later, Disney announced its immediate, indefinite suspension of Kimmel, sparking a backlash that ultimately grew to include several prominent conservatives who joined Democrats in condemning the FCC for what they branded as attempts at government censorship.&nbsp;&quot;I want to thank the people who don&#39;t support my show and what I believe but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,&quot; Kimmel said on Tuesday, name-checking such luminaries of the political right as commentators Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens, as well as U.S. Republican Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas.&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever said this before, but Ted Cruz is right,&quot; Kimmel said to laughs.&nbsp;Disney also faced pressure from consumers protesting Kimmel&#39;s suspension by canceling their subscriptions to the Disney+ streaming channel.&nbsp;Kimmel joked during the broadcast that Disney only imposed one condition for his return - then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket to read a statement asking viewers to renew their Disney+ service.&nbsp;Even though Disney has now brought Kimmel back to ABC&#39;s lineup, the two largest television station groups of ABC local affiliates - Nexstar Media Group NXST.O and Sinclair SBGI.O - were still boycotting his show.&nbsp;Before Tuesday&#39;s broadcast, Trump opined on his Truth Social online platform that he &quot;can&#39;t believe&quot; ABC gave Kimmel back his show, and hinted at further action against the network.&nbsp;&quot;Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who&#39;s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,&quot; Trump wrote.&nbsp;&quot;He is yet another arm of the DNC (Democratic National Committee) and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we&#39;re going to test ABC out on this.&quot;&nbsp;&#39;MUZZLING&#39; COMEDIANS AND THE PRESSKimmel, a four-time Oscars host, said Trump was not just after comedians he disliked, but also journalists, saying of the Republican president: &quot;He&#39;s suing them, he&#39;s bullying them.&quot;&nbsp;ABC News agreed to donate $15 million to Trump&#39;s presidential library to settle a lawsuit over comments anchor George Stephanopoulos made about the civil case brought against the president by writer E. Jean Carroll.&nbsp;And Paramount Global paid $16 million in July to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump claiming that the CBS News program &quot;60 Minutes&quot; deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that the network broadcast in October.&nbsp;The same month, Paramount announced it was canceling &quot;The Late Show&quot; hosted by comedian Stephen Colbert on CBS. The network said it was a business decision but critics widely saw it as part of a move to please Trump.&nbsp;&quot;I know that&#39;s not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, but it&#39;s so important to have a free press, and it is nuts we&#39;re not paying more attention to it,&quot; Kimmel said.&nbsp;Dispelling any notion he might pull his punches when it came to lampooning Trump on Tuesday, Kimmel opened the show quipping, &quot;I&#39;m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours - me or the CEO of Tylenol,&quot; a reference to Trump&#39;s announcement that linked autism to the use of the popular pain medication by women when they&#39;re pregnant.&nbsp;&quot;Follow the advice of Donald Trump, and you too can look like a glazed ham with deep vein thrombosis,&quot; Kimmel joked. &quot;This is Tylenol. We&#39;re talking about the thing that you take when they won&#39;t let you take anything that works.&quot;&nbsp;Near the end of his monologue, Kimmel returned to the subject that got him briefly banished from late night TV, saying that he was &quot;deeply&quot; moved by the forgiveness Kirk&#39;s widow, Erika Kirk, has voiced for her husband&#39;s 22-year-old accused killer, an expression the host called &quot;a selfless act of grace.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;And if there&#39;s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that,&quot; he said, his eyes again welling with tears.

Film & TV

Jimmy Kimmel returned to U.S. late-night television  defending political satire against Trump administration "bullying"

Jimmy Kimmel defends free speech as he returns to late-night television from suspension

Web Desk

<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

ISLAMABAD: Jimmy Kimmel&#39;s late-night talk show, which was abruptly pulled from the air last week after the US government threatened broadcasters, will be back on Tuesday, Disney announced Monday. The sudden suspension by ABC, which is owned by Disney, came after conservative complaints about comments Kimmel had made in the wake of the shooting of Christian activist Charlie Kirk, AFP reported. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970217552241451058&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 825px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,&quot; said a company statement. &quot;It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. &quot;We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.&quot; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970210150339465239&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Kimmel&#39;s abrupt disappearance from the airwaves, apparently after government pressure on broadcasters who distribute ABC, sparked fury in liberal America, with critics saying Kimmel had been targeted because he is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump. Trump had celebrated Kimmel&#39;s removal, calling it &quot;Great News for America.&quot;<div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115222372625104790/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">&nbsp;</iframe></div> Opponents saw it as the latest step in creeping government control of free speech -- an article of faith for many Americans, as well as a right enshrined in the country&#39;s constitution. Some on the right were also uneasy, including people who regularly count themselves as Trump allies, like Ted Cruz, the conservative senator from Texas, and firebrand broadcaster Tucker Carlson. On Friday, Trump again complained about negative media coverage of him, which he said he thought was &quot;illegal.&quot; FCC threat&nbsp;The Kimmel episode unfolded a week after Kirk, a close Trump ally, was shot dead on a Utah university campus, setting off a bitter battle over responsibility in deeply polarized America, with conservatives -- including Trump -- blaming &quot;the radical left.&quot; Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson and have not indicated they are looking for anyone else. In his show-opening monologue last Monday, Kimmel said &quot;the MAGA gang&quot; was &quot;desperately trying to characterize this kid... as anything other than one of them.&quot; He then showed footage of Trump pivoting from a question about how he had been affected by Kirk&#39;s death to boasting about the new ballroom he is building at the White House, prompting laughter from the studio audience. &quot;This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,&quot; Kimmel said. Two days later, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of ABC affiliates that broadcast Kimmel&#39;s show. &quot;I think it&#39;s past time these (affiliates) themselves push back... and say, &#39;Listen, we&#39;re not going to run Kimmel anymore until you straighten this out because we&#39;re running the possibility of license revocation from the FCC,&#39;&quot; he told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson. Hours later, Nexstar, one of the country&#39;s biggest owners of ABC affiliate stations, announced it would be removing the show from its stations.Nexstar is in the middle of a multi-billion-dollar merger with a rival that will require FCC approval. ABC then followed suit, pulling the show nationwide. Hollywood stars&nbsp;Before Disney&#39;s about-face was announced on Monday, a constellation of Hollywood stars signed an open letter calling the decision to pull the show &quot;a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation (that is) unconstitutional and un-American.&quot; &quot;The government is threatening private companies and individuals that the President disagrees with. We can&#39;t let this threat to our freedom of speech go unanswered,&quot; said the letter by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970169519751762389&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Signatories to the letter included Marvel star Pedro Pascal, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro, AFP reported. Late-night TV hosts&nbsp;America&#39;s late-night TV hosts rallied behind fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel last week, taking to their respective programs to condemn &mdash; or make fun of &mdash; the decision to pull Kimmel from the airwaves, BBC reported. Outgoing CBS host Stephen Colbert began The Late Show by saying &quot;we are all Jimmy Kimmel&quot;, and said the star&#39;s removal was a &quot;blatant assault on freedom of speech&quot;. On NBC&#39;s Late Night, host Seth Meyers declared it was &quot;a privilege and honour to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend&quot;, while Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon tackled the free speech issue by doing satirical sketches in which they were apparently forced to praise Donald Trump.

 Jimmy Kimmel's show, suspended last week following government pressure after his comments on Charlie Kirk's death, will return Tuesday. The decision came after discussions with Kimmel and amid criticism of potential government interference with free speech.

Jimmy Kimmel show to return Tuesday: Disney

ISLAMABAD: American actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie expressed deep concern over the state of free expression in the United States, saying she no longer &quot;recognizes&quot; her country.&nbsp;Her remarks came during the presentation of her latest film at Spain&rsquo;s San Sebasti&aacute;n Film Festival on Sunday.&nbsp;&ldquo;I love my country, but I don&rsquo;t at this time recognize my country,&rdquo; Jolie said, when asked whether she feared for freedom of speech in the US.&nbsp;She emphasized the importance of safeguarding personal freedoms, adding, &ldquo;Anything, anywhere, that divides or limits personal expression and freedoms is very dangerous.&rdquo;&nbsp;Though Jolie did not reference any specific incident, her comments followed widespread controversy over Disney-owned ABC&#39;s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel&rsquo;s late-night show from its schedule indefinitely.&nbsp;The move came after Kimmel criticized President Donald Trump and commented on the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, remarks that reportedly led Nexstar Media to preempt broadcasts of the show.&nbsp;The decision sparked backlash from across Hollywood. Celebrities including Mark Ruffalo, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Rodrigo, and Tatiana Maslany denounced what they described as a growing crackdown on critical voices in media.&nbsp;Ruffalo accused the government of suppressing free speech, while Pascal urged the public to actively defend democratic values.&nbsp;Jolie, who has headlined major Disney films such as Maleficent and Eternals, appeared careful not to single out any one incident, instead drawing attention to a broader cultural shift that, in her view, threatens individual liberties.&nbsp;&ldquo;These are very, very heavy times we are living in together,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;Promoting &ldquo;Couture&rdquo; at San Sebasti&aacute;nJolie was in San Sebasti&aacute;n to promote Couture, directed by French filmmaker Alice Winocour. The film, which is in competition for the festival&rsquo;s top prize, the Golden Shell, follows Maxine Walker, an American film director facing divorce and a life-altering illness during Paris Fashion Week.&nbsp;Jolie said she found the role deeply personal, having undergone a double mastectomy and preventive surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes after discovering she carries the BRCA1 gene, the same mutation that led to the deaths of her mother and grandmother.&nbsp;Visibly emotional, she shared that her late mother was often on her mind during filming.

Angelia Jolie at  73rd San Sebastian Film Festival

The Eternals star said she no longer "recognizes" America, voicing concern over free speech at Spain’s San Sebastián Film Festival, while promoting her new film Couture. Her remarks follow growing censorship fears in US media.

Angelina Jolie says she ‘no longer recognizes’ America amid free speech concerns

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 "Jimmy Kimmel"

Jimmy Kimmel defends free speech as he returns to late-night television from suspension

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

Jimmy Kimmel show to return Tuesday: Disney

Angelina Jolie says she ‘no longer recognizes’ America amid free speech concerns

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