Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to late-night television on Tuesday.
ABC announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” will resume after a week-long suspension that sparked debate about free speech, political pressure, and network responsibility.
ABC Explains Its Decision
In a statement, Disney and ABC said the suspension was meant to prevent further tension at “an emotional moment for our country.” Executives said conversations with Kimmel led to the decision to restore the show to the schedule.
Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, and Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, approved the move. The company stressed the choice was based on internal discussions rather than outside pressure.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” the company said in a statement to Variety. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Affiliate Pushback and FCC Pressure
The suspension followed backlash from Nexstar and Sinclair, two large station owners, who announced they would pre-empt the program. Their moves came after FCC Chair Brendan Carr suggested that Kimmel should be curbed following his remarks about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. However, President Trump has said his administration didn’t put any pressure on ABC to cancel Kimmel.
Kimmel’s comments included criticism of Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death and a sharp monologue aimed at conservative supporters.
Creative Community Responds
The suspension drew strong criticism from Hollywood.
More than 400 artists, including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Martin Short, and Natalie Portman, signed an open letter with the ACLU condemning the action as a threat to free speech. Advocacy groups across the political spectrum also weighed in.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear if Jimmy Kimmel will apologize when he returns on Tuesday. Late-night history has examples of hosts like David Letterman, Bill Maher, and Samantha Bee walking back controversial comments.
According to reports, following his controversial comments, Kimmel was going to double down on blaming conservatives, which is when ABC/Disney made the decision to yank Kimmel.
