Less than a week after it was taken off the air under pressure from the Trump administration, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to late night on Tuesday, ABC parent company Disney confirmed.
Disney pulled the comedian's show last Wednesday after Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, condemned Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination. The comments in question from Kimmel: "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."
Carr threatened Disney and ABC affiliates that carry Kimmel's show, encouraging stations to preempt the late night program. Nexstar, which owns stations across the country and needs FCC approval for a multibillion dollar merger with media company TEGNA, quickly pulled the program.
"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 explained in a statement provided to NPR. The company cited concerns that "some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive."
After engaging in "thoughtful conversations with Jimmy," Disney stated that they have decided to resume production of the show.
Kimmel's suspension sparked widespread outrage. On Monday, hundreds of entertainers, including Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and current Marvel and Star Wars star Pedro Pascal — both with long-standing professional ties to Disney — signed an open letter condemning the company's decision. The letter, issued in collaboration with the ACLU, also included signatures from Selena Gomez and Olivia Rodrigo, both of whom found early success as Disney actors.
The letter stated in part, "This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees … Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us."
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