Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night team gave him a warm welcome when he returned to hosting after a short suspension from ABC.
A staff member from Jimmy Kimmel Live! told PEOPLE exclusively it was a “very emotional” first day back on Tuesday, Sept. 23. It was the first new episode since ABC “indefinitely” pulled the show before its taping on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
We gave Jimmy a much deserved standing ovation at rehearsal.
the employee said, adding that everyone felt very happy, relieved, and excited for tonight’s show.
The staffer also mentioned that Kimmel’s highly awaited first opening monologue after the suspension wasn’t fully ready yet, saying “that will take all day.” ABC confirmed to PEOPLE that Jimmy Kimmel Live! was “indefinitely” pulled on Wednesday, Sept. 17, after comments Kimmel, 57, made about the late right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.
Kimmel said in his Sept. 15 monologue about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged with aggravated murder in Kirk’s death
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Kimmel then played clips of President Donald Trump being asked about Kirk’s death. One reporter offered condolences and asked how he was holding up. Trump replied, “I think very good,” before talking about the White House’s new ballroom under construction.
Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction. 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, okay? Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.
The camera returned to Kimmel, the comedian said, then Before the episode, Kimmel had posted his condolences to Kirk’s family on social media. he wrote soon after Kirk’s death
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, called Kimmel’s on-air remarks “truly sick” in an interview on Benny Johnson’s podcast and said the FCC had a “strong case” to hold Disney — ABC’s parent company — responsible if it didn’t “take action on Kimmel.”
We can do this the easy way or the hard way. There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.
Carr said
Carr also spoke to the “individual licensed stations” airing ABC content nationwide, telling them “it’s time for them to step up” and act. Nexstar, the largest U.S. local broadcast and digital media company, and Sinclair, the nation’s biggest ABC affiliate group, then condemned Kimmel’s comments and refused to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! in their markets — a move Carr praised on X.
Nexstar recently revealed plans to buy Tegna, a competing broadcast company, for over $6 billion. This huge deal would put Nexstar in 80% of U.S. TV homes, according to a press release, even though current law allows only 39%. The FCC, led by Carr under President Trump’s appointment, must approve the acquisition.
Sinclair also gave a list of demands before airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! again, including a “direct apology to the Kirk family” and a “meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,” Kirk’s nonprofit that promotes conservative politics in schools and universities.
ABC then put the show on indefinite hiatus, a move celebrated by President Trump — who said Kimmel was “fired for lack of talent” — and criticized by Kimmel’s Hollywood friends, industry unions, and other late-night hosts.
On Monday, Sept. 22, the network announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return on Tuesday, Sept. 23, less than a week after being “indefinitely” pulled.
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. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.
Disney said in a statement about the show’s return
A late-night staffer told PEOPLE there was “relief and joy across the board” when they heard the show was coming back. Staffers had earlier said they hoped for “some sort of peaceful resolution” with the network. Despite ABC bringing the show back, Sinclair and Nexstar both said they would continue blocking it in their local markets. Carr again praised the companies for standing up to ABC.
Kimmel stayed quiet during the controversy, only posting on social media Tuesday, Sept. 23, with a photo of himself and the late TV legend Norman Lear. “Missing the guy today,” he wrote.
Lear, best known for creating All in the Family, famously sued the FCC in the 1970s and was known to be on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list.” Lear died at 101 in 2023.
Kimmel’s longtime sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez also celebrated the show’s return.
In a joint post with Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s official Instagram, he wrote, “We are back full of love.”
Source: PEOPLE