Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has made his comeback after nearly a weeklong hiatus of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The show was temporarily pulled off the air following controversial comments he made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
While the live audience eagerly welcomed the show’s return, there was some “chaos” backstage among the staff before the episode aired.
“Never cared for his type of comedy, if you could call it that. I didn’t think he was funny,” wrote one user online.
Jimmy Kimmel made his much-anticipated return to television after the suspension of his show was lifted
On the night of September 23, Kimmel returned to the Disney-owned ABC show with an emotional monologue, addressing the controversy surrounding his talk show.
He praised Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, for forgiving her late husband’s assassin, while also firmly stating that it was “not his intention to make light of the m**der of a young man.”
“I don’t think the m***erer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t. It isn’t ever.”
The right-wing political commentator and activist was fatally shot during a public debate at Utah University on September 10 by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
“Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was,” he said in his monologue.
During the September 15 episode, Kimmel had mocked President Trump’s reaction to the passing of his “friend” Charlie while discussing Tyler’s arrest in connection with the attack.
The 57-year-old comedian addressed his comments about Charlie Kirk, saying, “It was never my intention to make light” of the matter
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who m***dered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
These comments were deemed “offensive and insensitive” by broadcasting group Nexstar, which revealed in a public statement that the show was canceled for the “foreseeable future.”
The decision was reportedly made under the order of the Trump-administered Federal Communications Commission or FCC.
Taking a jab at the organization, the latest episode featured a sketch where actor Robert De Niro starred as FCC chairperson Brendan Carr.
When Kimmel told the chairperson character that his free speech was being attacked by the FCC, De Niro, channeling Carr, quipped, “What the f**k did you just say to me? I am the f***ing FCC, I can say whatever the f***k I want.”
Just hours before the show aired, backstage staff revealed the tension behind the scenes, with everyone, including the producers, demanding that Kimmel defend his comments about Kirk.
Jimmy mocked the Federal Communications Commission for attacking his free speech by pulling his show off the air
The comedian’s monologue was kept a secret from the show’s staff, and anyone who knew about it was told not to discuss it with others.
An anonymous staff member told the Daily Mail, “No one knows what Jimmy is going to say, but there are rumblings that if he apologizes, there will be a walkout. If he grovels or falls on his sword, that’s actually a betrayal to all of us. It will feel like he doesn’t have our back.”
Another added that Kimmel’s decision to return was “out of respect” for all the crew members who depend on the show for their livelihood.
“We are depending on him to stand up for what’s right. If he doesn’t, there will be a mutiny.”
“As much as he wanted to leave ABC and expected not to be coming back at all, he is happy that the people he works with will have some time to figure out their next steps, because what this taught Jimmy was that he might not be leaving ABC now, he will once his contract is up…”
As the staff wanted, Jimmy, though emotional at times during his monologue, never once apologized for his past words.
He clarified his intentions, saying the comments might have been “ill-timed” but were not made to mock Charlie or his assassination.
Jimmy’s monologue was kept a secret from the talk show’s staff members, who threatened a “walkout” if he apologized
Defending himself, Kimmel added, “I’ve been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight, and the truth is, I don’t think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, you like me; if you don’t, you don’t. I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind.”
The show’s cancellation sparked widespread backlash against Disney, with netizens and several A-list celebrities boycotting the platform and its other owned properties, including Hulu and ESPN.
On Monday, as a result of the backlash, Disney announced that the show would resume as usual and issued a statement explaining why the weeklong suspension had been imposed.
“We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.”
However, several ABC-affiliated broadcasting stations did not air the show despite Disney’s decision.
Nexstar, KOMO, KATU, and others were among the stations that stepped back from airing the show altogether.
Many celebrities and fellow comedians called for a complete boycott of Disney following Kimmel’s suspension
While the comeback episode has already aired, it remains to be seen how the backstage staff, who had expressed concerns about Jimmy’s monologue in case he apologized, reacted to his message.
Previously, popular faces like Cynthia Nixon, Marisa Tomei, Mark Ruffalo, Olivia Rodrigo, Jimmy Fallon, Alex Edelman, Tatiana Maslany, and others condemned Kimmel’s suspension on their social media accounts.
The Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon shared a video of herself publicly canceling her Disney subscriptions while urging fans to “cancel your subscriptions to Disney+, Hulu & ESPN now.”
Meanwhile, the Driver’s License hitmaker slammed Disney and the government, citing citizens’ freedom of speech.
“I stand for freedom of speech.”
“Poor man the media wants to destroy him,” wrote one social media user as Kimmel made his comeback
