ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and his show will return Tuesday

ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show in the wake of criticism over his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Monday.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! to come back on ABC

“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,” ABC said a statement.

ABC suspended Jimmy indefinitely on Wednesday after comments he made about Kirk, who was killed September 10, in a monologue. Kimmel said “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Jimmy has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer. He is also well known as a presenter, having hosted the Academy Awards four times.

Backlash to Jimmy’s comments was swift. Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, said they would be pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their stations. Others, including several fellow comedians, came to his defense.

Sinclair said Monday that it would not air Jimmy's show Tuesday and would broadcast news programming instead. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return,” the company said. There was no immediate comment from Nexstar on its plans for Kimmel's return.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, the organisation founded by Kirk and now headed by his widow, posted on X about Jimmy’s reinstatement, “Disney and ABC caving and allowing Jimmy back on the air is not surprising, but it's their mistake to make. Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”

Stephen Colbert joyfully reacted to the news during the opening of his Late Show, telling his audience that “our long national, late nightmare is over.”

Stephen, whose late show is being canceled by CBS after this season, said he was happy for his friend and the Jimmy Kimmel Live! staff. Grabbing his recently-won Emmy Award for outstanding talk series, the comedian could hardly contain his glee. He added, “Once more, I am the only martyr on late night!”

President Donald Trump, one of Jimmy’s frequent targets, posted on social media that Kimmel’s suspension was “great news for America.” He also called for other late night hosts to be fired. He has yet to comment on Kimmel's reinstatement.

Jimmy’s suspension arrived in a time when Trump and his administration have pursued threats, lawsuits and federal government pressure to try to exert more control over the media industry. Trump has reached settlements with ABC and CBS over their coverage.

Jimmy’s contract with The Walt Disney Co.-owned network had been set to expire in May 2026. His representative did not return a message seeking comment Monday.

Word of the reinstatement came as hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars — including Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep — urged Americans “fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights” in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's suspension.

More than 430 movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names to an open letter Monday from the American Civil Liberties Union that argues it is “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”

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