Late-night just got a whole lot hotter. After a whirlwind week of censorship accusations, protests and celebrity outrage, Jimmy Kimmel is officially returning to Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night.
Disney, which owns ABC, confirmed the comeback Monday, saying it had “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel after suspending the show for comments the comic made about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s death. The company originally called his remarks “ill-timed and insensitive” — but critics across the spectrum slammed the move as outright censorship.
The suspension sparked an uproar. The FCC’s Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr threatened to yank ABC’s broadcast license. Former President Trump himself cheered the ban and hinted some networks should have their licenses “taken away.” Meanwhile, hundreds of celebrities — from Ben Stiller to Meryl Streep — signed an open letter calling the suspension a “dark moment for freedom of speech.”
But the drama isn’t over. Sinclair, the biggest ABC affiliate group, says it’s pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its stations starting Tuesday, swapping it for news programming while “discussions continue.” Nexstar Media, another major player, is still refusing to air the show “for the foreseeable future.”
Kimmel, who’s hosted the late-night staple since 2003 and helmed four Oscars, hasn’t yet commented publicly. His 15 September monologue accused “the Maga gang” of spinning Kirk’s killing and mocked Trump’s reaction, comparing it to “how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” That clip went viral, fueling the political firestorm.
FCC Democrat Anna Gomez praised Disney for “finding its courage in the face of clear government intimidation” and vowed to fight attempts to muzzle free expression. Protesters in California, Hollywood guilds, the ACLU, and fellow hosts Jon Stewart, John Oliver and Stephen Colbert have all rallied behind Kimmel.
The backlash has even led to calls for boycotts of Disney+, Hulu and other Disney services to “hit the company where it hurts” over its initial decision.
Bottom line: Kimmel’s back — but the battle over free speech on American TV is far from finished.
