Emmy-winning host Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night live show is returning on screen, less than a week after Disney-owned ABC pulled it off the air, following his comments on the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
In a statement issued on Monday, five days after ABC put ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ on an indefinite hiatus on September 17, due to his comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing, the network confirmed that the late-night show is returning on screens and will resume the day after.
“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,” the statement read.
However, ABC shared that it had had detailed discussions with Kimmel after the suspension and confirmed that the show will be resumed. “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 (September 23),” the network added.
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It is pertinent to mention here that Kimmel, in his opening monologue on September 15, days after Kirk, a close Donald Trump ally, was shot dead on a Utah university campus, had said, “The MAGA gang (is) desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and (doing) everything they can to score political points from it.”
“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” he remarked.
Following his comments, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr openly threatened to revoke the license of ABC affiliates who broadcast Kimmel’s show.