After a suspension that lasted nearly a week and created a firestorm of debate in America over free speech, ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night.
And what a return it was.
An emotional Kimmel showed empathy over the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, but mostly struck a defiant tone defending free speech and criticizing the Trump administration for trying to silence that right.
Along the way, he slipped in a few humorous zingers for an 18-minute monologue that was tone perfect and what you would expect from the talented Kimmel. Almost assuredly, some on the right will think Kimmel wasn’t contrite enough, but it was clear Kimmel was looking to achieve two goals in his opening monologue: One was to (briefly) explain the remarks that led to his suspension, and the other was to fiercely defend the First Amendment.
Kimmel was greeted with a lengthy and rousing standing ovation by the studio audience and chants of “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.”
Kimmel later drew another standing ovation when he said, “This show is not important. What’s important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
He thanked those who reached out to him over the past week, including current and former late-night talk-show hosts. And he thanked the audience for their support.
“Weirdly, maybe most of all,” Kimmel said, “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.”
He then went on to mention the likes of conservatives such as Clay Travis, Candace Owens and Senators Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
“It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration,” Kimmel said, “They did and they deserve credit for it.”
It was then that Kimmel became emotional as he began talking about the comments that got him suspended.
He teared up and his voice noticeably cracked when he said, “I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but 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. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. … Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”
Kimmel added that he understood how his remarks last week might have “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.” He added, “For those who think I did point the finger, I get why you’re upset.”
Kimmel then said the person to blame for Kirk’s death represented no particular group, adding, “This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t. Ever.”
That was really the only reference he made to the specific remarks that drew the ire of the right — especially Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who suggested on a conservative podcast last week that Kimmel could be taken off the air.
Kimmel blasted Carr, even putting Carr’s threats to take Kimmel off the air on the screen.
“In addition to being in direct violation of the First Amendment,” Kimmel said, “it’s not a particularly intelligent thing to say in public. … This genius said it on a podcast.”
Kimmel also pointed out that Carr, in the past, has defended satire and comedy as important to democracy. He also played a clip of Trump defending free speech, and another of Trump criticizing Kimmel for having no talent and no ratings.
Kimmel cracked, “Well, I do tonight! You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein Files to distract us from this now.”
Regarding ABC, Kimmel thanked the network for his show, and for allowing him to use their platform to express his views even though it probably makes them uncomfortable at times.
“With that said,” Kimmel said, “I was not happy when they pulled me off the air. I did not agree with that decision.”
Still, Kimmel admitted that even though ABC didn’t have to put him back on the air, they did, and he was appreciative.
Kimmel then returned to Trump, saying the president wants to see hundreds who work on Kimmel’s show — and other late-night shows — fired “because he can’t take a joke.”
Kimmel also warned the audience that Trump is going after journalists and news organizations, pointing specifically to the Pentagon requiring credentialed reporters to sign a pledge saying they wouldn’t report anything that isn’t released by the Defense Department.
“They want to pick and choose what the news is,” Kimmel said. “I know that’s not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, but it’s so important to have a free press, and it’s nuts that we aren’t paying more attention to it.”
He called silencing anyone “unAmerican.”
He then closed his opening segment by again becoming emotional while speaking about Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika, who said she had forgiven the man who shot her late husband.
Kimmel said, “A selfless act of grace — forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. And if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that. Not this.”
Before the show aired, Trump reacted angrily on Truth Social. He wrote, in part, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”
At no point did ABC ever say publicly that Kimmel's show was permanently canceled.
Trump also suggested that Kimmel was an “arm of the DNC” and “that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.”
Using that theory, he said he might sue ABC, writing “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”
Meanwhile, Carr has tried to distance himself from any suggestion that his comments last week were an infringement on freedom of speech or played any role in ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel’s show. Carr insists it was a decision made by ABC and its affiliates.
Carr also has said the suspension was because of Kimmel’s low ratings. However, The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reported, “Two people with knowledge of Disney’s discussions about the suspension said that Mr. Kimmel’s audience size had nothing to do with the decision.”
After the opening monologue about the suspension and a commercial break, Kimmel returned with a second, more traditional late-night segment that included legendary actor Robert DeNiro hilariously acting as a mob version of the FCC chairman. Then Kimmel skewered Trump’s day speaking at the United Nations, as well as comments earlier this week about Tylenol.
