Jimmy Kimmel is back – mostly. The comedian returned to late-night TV Tuesday after a six-day suspension by Disney, the corporate owner of ABC, over comments he made about the man who allegedly shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk two weeks ago.
In his opening monologue, Mr. Kimmel discussed the controversy around his remarks, in which he had suggested, without evidence, that Mr. Kirk’s accused killer came from within the MAGA movement. He didn’t apologize. But he did tear up, saying it was never his intention “to make light of the murder of a young man.” And he said he understood why those who thought he was “pointing a finger” at conservatives had gotten upset.
Still, he made clear to his audience that he had no intention of pulling any punches when it came to President Donald Trump.
Why We Wrote This
The impacts of comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s six-day suspension may linger – as both an example of the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress speech it says goes against the public interest, as well as what successful pushback might look like.
“He tried his best to cancel me; instead he forced millions of people to watch the show,” Mr. Kimmel said. “That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”
Mr. Kimmel reportedly worked out the terms of his return to his late-night show directly with Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had faced a torrent of criticism – including from former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. “Where has all the leadership gone?” Mr. Eisner posted on X Sept. 19.
Not all who wanted to watch the reinstated “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on broadcast TV could do so. Two groups of ABC affiliates – some 70 stations in all, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group – opted to keep preempting the show indefinitely. Together, they represent close to 30% of ABC stations, scattered around the country, including the Washington, D.C., affiliate. Viewers could still watch the show via streaming services on the web.
Despite Mr. Kimmel’s return, the reverberations of this particular skirmish may linger – as both an example of the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress unwelcome speech, as well as what successful pushback might look like. President Trump on Tuesday hinted he might sue ABC again, over Mr. Kimmel’s return.
“In some ways, free speech is probably at an inflection point,” says Heather Hendershot, a media historian at Northwestern University in Chicago.
She suggests that the government is “testing the waters” to see if it can get away with silencing entertainment programming with a political angle. “If they can get away with that, the news is next, is my concern,” Professor Hendershot says. “It’s a pretty dangerous moment.”
Ilya Shapiro, director of constitutional studies at the conservative Manhattan Institute, offers little optimism for the foreseeable future.
“Free speech culture has seen better days,” Mr. Shapiro says. “And together with the generally polarized nature of our civil discourse and the low societal trust that we have, we’re not at a very healthy place in terms of a free and open and civil exchange of ideas.”
For Mr. Kimmel, the return to the airwaves represents a victory. Some 400 Hollywood celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Aniston, signed a letter supporting free speech and defending Mr. Kimmel. The Disney+ streaming service saw a wave of subscriber cancellations in response to his “indefinite suspension,” and Disney’s stock price fell.
The Kimmel hiatus was triggered by this statement in his Sept. 15 monologue: “We hit 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.”
The comment sparked a backlash from conservatives, including Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who called for Mr. Kimmel’s suspension, adding: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Nexstar, it’s worth noting, has business before the FCC regarding its planned merger with Tegna, a broadcast, digital media, and marketing services company.
Some heard mob overtones in Mr. Carr’s comments – including conservative GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Senator Cruz said on his podcast, “I hate what Jimmy Kimmel said,” but the FCC chair’s comment sounded “right out of ‘Goodfellas.’” Senator Cruz chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC.
Popular podcaster Joe Rogan, a supporter of Mr. Trump, called those who applauded Mr. Kimmel’s suspension “crazy.”
“I definitely don’t think that the government should be involved ever in dictating what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue,” Mr. Rogan said.
Mr. Kimmel made a point to thank all the conservative voices who had spoken out on his behalf in recent days, saying, “Maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe – but support my right to share those beliefs, anyway.”
Mr. Trump has persisted in slamming Mr. Kimmel from the start of the controversy. Tuesday evening, the president weighed in again on his social media platform.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” the president posted, ending with his usual derision of Mr. Kimmel over ratings. (In fact, late-night TV overall has faced declining ratings in recent years as media consumption habits have changed.) Mr. Trump accused Mr. Kimmel of being “an arm” of the Democratic National Committee, and said he might “test ABC out on this,” noting that his defamation lawsuit against the network’s news division resulted in a $16 million settlement last year.
Mr. Kimmel pushed back directly on Tuesday night.
“The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs,” he said. “Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke.”
Ultimately, the comedian expressed gratitude for the freedoms that come from living in the United States – and he urged Americans not to take them for granted.
“This show is not important,” he said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
