Jimmy Kimmel Will Return To Air After Disney Lifts Suspension
Disney announced Monday that it’s bringing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back on the air Tuesday, less than a week after the company said it was suspending ABC’s late night program “indefinitely” following the host’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The decision followed “thoughtful conversations” with the host, whose show was taken down after Kimmel criticized conservatives’ response to Kirk’s shooting death, Disney said, adding that the company believed the timing of the remarks to be “insensitive.”
“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,” the company statement read. “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.”

via Associated Press
Critics slammed Disney and its CEO Bob Iger for suspending the show after Brendan Carr, President Donald Trump’s chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, threatened to punish the company with regulatory action over Kimmel’s comments.
Earlier Monday, more than 400 celebrities, including Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, signed a letter calling the suspension a “dark moment for freedom of speech.” A handful of other celebrities have called on people to cancel their subscriptions to Disney’s platforms or vowed not to work with the company again.
The move was even met with criticism from GOP lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who compared it to kowtowing to threats from a mob boss and said it sets a dangerous precedent.
“Going down this road, there will come a time when a Democrat wins again. They will silence us,” he added. “They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly, and that is dangerous.”
Sinclair, which owns multiple ABC affiliates and control what broadcasts on them, released a statement saying it would continue to preempt Kimmel’s show despite Disney lifting the suspension. It will air news during that time slot instead but left the door open to Kimmel’s return.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said. Earlier, the company demanded that Kimmel “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family.”
20 Years OfFreeJournalism
Your SupportFuelsOur Mission
Your SupportFuelsOur Mission
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can't do this without you.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
Nexstar, another company that owns ABC affiliate stations, has not commented on its plans.
Kimmel has hosted his show on the Disney subsidiary since 2003, making it the second longest-running show in late night.
He has yet to remark publicly on the suspension.