Jimmy Kimmel’s Show To Return To ABC After Suspension Over Charlie Kirk Comments

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show is set to return to ABC on Tuesday, nearly a week after it was temporarily suspended following backlash over the host’s comments regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“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, which owns ABC, said in a statement Monday.

The company said the decision was “made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” NBC News reports.

“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,” Disney added.

ABC pulled the show after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke ABC affiliate licenses, calling Kimmel’s comments in a podcast interview “the sickest conduct possible.”

Following Carr’s remarks, Nexstar and Sinclair, companies that own ABC affiliate stations nationwide, announced they would remove Kimmel’s show from their schedules.

ABC subsequently confirmed it would suspend the program “indefinitely.”

Last week, in a monologue, Kimmel expressed condolences to Kirk’s family while criticizing Republicans for their response to the activist’s killing.

“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,” he said.

Kirk, conservative firebrand, founder of Turning Point USA, was killed on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

He was speaking at the kickoff of the American Comeback Tour, a Turning Point USA event focused on conservative youth engagement.

While responding to a question about gun violence, Kirk was fatally shot through the neck by a sniper positioned on a rooftop approximately 142 yards away.

Kirk was rushed to the hospital, but the wound was fatal. He was pronounced dead hours later.

The shooter, Tyler James Robinson, surrendered the next day. Twenty-two-year-old Robinson had left a note, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

He used a .30-06 Mauser M 98 bolt-action rifle, an antique weapon for a modern execution.

Kirk left behind a wife, Erika Frantzve, former Miss Arizona USA, and two young children.