Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late-night television began with a wavering voice and a deliberate admission that he feared his words had been heard in a way he never intended, before he steadied himself to argue that comedians must be free to speak without government intimidation. In a 16-minute opening monologue on Tuesday, Kimmel addressed the remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that led ABC to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its schedule last week, saying he “wasn’t trying to joke about the killing” and that “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” He added that the reaction to his earlier comments had convinced him “we have to speak out against” efforts to control what can be said on television. The Associated Press said he appeared close to tears as he delivered the clarification, and another outlet quoted him telling viewers: “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
Kimmel’s return came six days after The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, suspended the program “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” saying some of his on-air remarks were “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” In the statement announcing his reinstatement for Tuesday night, Disney said the show’s pause followed “thoughtful conversations” with the host. Kimmel did not issue an explicit apology, but he told viewers he understood why people had been upset, said the suspected gunman “does not represent anyone,” and praised the public forgiveness offered by Kirk’s widow, Erika. “It was never my intention to make light,” he said again, before pivoting to a broader defense of free expression.
The host’s demeanor mixed contrition with defiance. Reuters reported that he cast his return as a stand against what he called political “bullying,” describing attempts to force broadcasters to drop his program as antithetical to American values. He criticized what he framed as official pressure on ABC affiliates, and he resumed his long-running rivalry with President Donald Trump, who had publicly celebrated the suspension. In one line that drew a sharp reaction in the studio, Kimmel mocked Trump’s boasts about the show’s ratings and quipped that the president “might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this,” a flourish the Los Angeles Times also noted as a marker of the host’s intent to resume his combative political humor.
Jimmy Kimmel calls out Donald Trump for trying to shut down his show