Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off air last week after the host’s comments about the Make America Great Again movement and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk sparked outrage.
Disney has now announced that the late-night show is returning to air on Tuesday, ending a suspension that had ignited national debates over free speech and political pressure on the media.
What Did Jimmy Kimmel Say About Charlie Kirk?
In his September 15 monologue, Jimmy Kimmel said the “MAGA gang” was trying to score political points from Kirk’s death and were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
He also mocked President Donald Trump’s response to a question about how he was doing in the wake of Kirk’s killing, in which the president responded by talking about construction happening at the White House.
“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel said.
Why Did ABC Reinstate Jimmy Kimmel?
On Monday, ABC’s parent company, Disney, said it had come to the decision to reinstate the show following “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel.
“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,” Disney said in the statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
“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.”
Who Owns Sinclair Broadcast Group?
Sinclair Broadcast Group, a publicly traded company controlled in part by the Smith family—with David D. Smith as executive chairman—has historically leaned conservative.
While Disney has decided to put Kimmel back on air, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which controls many ABC affiliates, has said it will preempt the show, meaning it will block it and air its own programming instead.
The company called on Kimmel to apologize and make a donation to Kirk’s conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA.
What Time Is ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’?
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC and returns on Tuesday.
Where Can I Watch ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’?
The show is set to air on ABC stations nationwide.
However, Sinclair Broadcast Group has said it will preempt the program on its affiliates and instead air news programming in the slot.
This means viewers in markets with Sinclair-owned ABC affiliates won’t be able to watch the show on their local channels.
Nexstar, another major owner of ABC affiliates that previously objected to Kimmel’s comments about Kirk, has not confirmed whether it will air the returned show.
Who Is Jimmy Kimmel‘s First Guest Back?
It is not clear who Kimmel’s first guest back will be.
The show’s website, which ordinarily lists the upcoming interviewees and musical guests for the week, has not been updated since the news that the show was returning.
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