Jimmy Kimmel’s return to TV on Tuesday night moved his mother to tears, a new report reveals.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to ABC Tuesday after parent company Disney had “thoughtful conversations” with the host over his “ill-timed” comments about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Leesa Bates told People she sat next to Kimmel’s parents, Joan and James, at Tuesday’s taping in Hollywood, California, on Tuesday night. She recalled that Kimmel’s mother teared up as her son filmed the episode.
“I saw her wiping her eyes several times,” Bates said.
“She said that it was a rough week for everybody, and it was a really rough period,” she added.
Kimmel’s latest monologue has already gone viral online, accumulating more than 14 million views on YouTube and 5.7 million views on Instagram as of Wednesday afternoon. The clip is now Kimmel’s most-watched upload in more than a year, Rolling Stone reports.
Bates told People that Kimmel’s mom was “very nice” and that she was close to tears even before the show started.
“She said, ‘If I start to cry, I'm sorry,’” Bates recalled. “And I said, ‘No, if you start to cry, I’m going to start to cry.’ And we did. But it was very sweet. She’s a very nice lady.”
Kimmel’s show was suspended by ABC, Nexstar and Sinclair after he sparked outrage by accusing MAGA Republicans of using Kirk’s killing to score political points. Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on September 10, and police have since charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with the murder.
“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 doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on September 15.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and suggested ABC’s license could be at risk over it. Shortly afterward, ABC moved to suspend Kimmel’s show. While ABC reversed its decision on Monday, Nexstar and Sinclair have since said their networks will not air the talkshow.
Before Kimmel returned, big names in Hollywood and politics — like former President Barack Obama — quickly condemned his show’s suspension and raised questions about free speech. More than 400 celebrities signed an open letter against his suspension over the weekend, while protests erupted outside of Kimmel’s Hollywood studio last week.
President Donald Trump also weighed in. He initially celebrated ABC’s decision to preempt Kimmel’s show last week, but went on to criticize the network when they announced it would resume airing.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there.”
In his viral monologue, Kimmel was audibly choked up and emotional as he explained his intentions in last week’s episode.
“I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
Kimmel went on to tell his audience he had since sent love to Kirk’s family and asked for compassion.
“I meant it and I still do, nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual,” Kimmel said.
The host also praised a “beautiful moment” that had taken place at Kirk’s public memorial in Arizona over the weekend.
“On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him,” Kimmel said, as he choked up again. “That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teachings of Jesus, as I do, there it was. That’s it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply.”
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