‘Not my intention to make light of Charlie Kirk murder’: Jimmy Kimmel says as he returns to ABC after suspension
Jimmy Kimmel suspension, Charlie Kirk murder remarks: ABC had suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show last Wednesday after the network faced severe criticism following Kimmel’s comments on assassination of Kirk.
September 24, 2025 11:18 AM IST
First published on: Sep 24, 2025 at 09:43 AM IST
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Jimmy Kimmel returns ABC: Kimmel received a standing ovation upon his return to the show following the suspension. (Photo: AP/ File)
Jimmy Kimmel returns ABC: American television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night TV show on ABC on Tuesday after facing a nearly one week suspension over his comments on the deceased conservative activist Charlie Kirk that triggered a national debate over freedom of speech and President Donald Trump’s ability to sanction the words of journalists, commentators and comics, AP reported.
Kimmel received a standing ovation upon his return to the show following the suspension. Amid the thunder of claps, Kimmel said, “As I was saying before I was interrupted,” referring to the suspension in a rhetorical manner. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said through tears, reports BBC.
Jimmy Kimmel receives a standing ovation as he returns to Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a five-day suspension. His first line: "As I was saying before I was interrupted…" pic.twitter.com/D742QzaPKU
ABC had suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show last Wednesday after the network faced severe criticism following Kimmel’s comments on assassination of Kirk. However, ABC announced on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return after the network had “thoughtful conversations” with the host.
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During his monologue on the show, Kimmel said he never wanted to blame any specific group for the killing of activist Charlie Kirk and went on to praise Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk for forgiveness of the killer at a memorial over the weekend. Kimmel criticised President Donald Trump and the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Robert De Niro for “un-American” threats over freedom of speech.
Kimmel, who has been mostly silent since his show was suspended by Disney-owned ABC last week, posted a photo of himself with the late television producer and free speech advocate Norman Lear and wrote, “Missing this guy today.”
However, two local TV station groups Nexstar and Sinclair, which together run over a quarter of stations affiliated to ABC, have said that they would continue to replace Jimmy Kimmel’s time slot with other programs on their network affiliate stations forcing audiences in cities such as St. Louis, Nashville, Tennessee, and Richmond, Virginia to watch something else, AP reported.
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Jimmy Kimmel returns ABC: Kimmel received a standing ovation upon his return to the show following the suspension. (Photo: AP/ File) 
