ABC to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Charlie Kirk row backlash

ABC has decided to reinstate Jimmy Kimmel Live! after suspending it over remarks on Charlie Kirk's assassination, sparking political backlash and Hollywood support for free speech

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ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, days after it was suspended in the wake of criticism over his comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Associated Press reported.

 

Network officials announced the end of the suspension on Monday (local time). They said, “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.”

 

The network had suspended the show indefinitely after Kimmel’s remarks on Kirk, who was shot on September 10. In a monologue, Kimmel said that many people in Make America Great Again (MAGA) land were trying to capitalise on the murder of Kirk, adding that the “MAGA gang was desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Kirk as anything other than one of them.” 

 

Trump applauds ABC for suspension

 

The backlash to Kimmel’s comments was swift, with Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, pulling the show from their stations.

 

US President Donald Trump, a frequent target of Kimmel, lauded the suspension. He called it “great news” and added that other late-night hosts should also be fired. The move is being viewed as part of the Trump administration’s broader attempts to silence left-wing voices under the banner of defending Kirk. 

 

Trump administration’s media pressure

 

Kimmel has hosted the show since 2003. The suspension came at a time when the Trump administration was intensifying pressure on the media industry through lawsuits, settlements, and funding cuts. Trump had previously reached settlements with ABC and CBS, filed lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and seen Republicans in Congress strip funding from PBS and NPR. 

 

Hollywood backs Kimmel

 

Following the suspension, hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars rallied in support of Kimmel, urging Americans to defend free speech. The signatories to an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union included Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep.

 

The letter, signed by more than 430 actors, directors, comedians, and writers, argued that the suspension marked a “dark moment” for free expression.

 

Trump vs late-night hosts

 

Launched in 2003, Jimmy Kimmel Live! became one of the big three late-night shows in the US alongside The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Earlier in July, CBS cancelled Colbert’s show. Trump later claimed on Truth Social that he was not responsible for Colbert’s removal, attributing it to “a pure lack of talent.”

 

He added, “Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak and very insecure Jimmy Fallon.”

 

In a resurfaced interview with Variety, Kimmel had earlier expressed concern that the Trump administration might target comedians, warning that a crackdown could be imminent.