ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and his show will return Tuesday
[September 23, 2025]
By MARK KENNEDY
NEW YORK (AP) — 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.
"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 Kimmel indefinitely on Wednesday after comments he made
about Kirk, who was killed Sept. 10, in a monologue. Kimmel said “many
in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize 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.”
Kimmel 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 Kimmel’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 Kimmel'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 organization
founded by Kirk and now headed by his widow, posted on X about Kimmel's
reinstatement: “Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel 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.”
Colbert, 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 Kimmel’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.
Kimmel’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.
Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal
and The New York Times. Republicans in Congress stripped federal funding
from NPR and PBS.
Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, issued
a warning prior to Kimmel’s suspension that criticized Kimmel’s remarks
about the Kirk assassination.
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This combination of photos show celebrities, top row from left, Ben
Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Robert De Niro, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks,
bottom row from left, Nathan Lane, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Florence
Pugh, Meryl Streep and Kerry Washington. (AP Photo)
 “We can do this the easy way or the
hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change
conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be
additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr denied on Monday that he threatened to revoke ABC's local
station licenses because of Kimmel's remarks.
“Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation he’s in because of his ratings.
Not because of anything that’s happened at the federal government
level,” Carr said at the Concordia Annual Summit.
Kimmel’s suspension has cast a spotlight on the web of business
interests that require approval from the U.S. government. Disney,
for instance, needs approval from the Trump administration for ESPN
to complete its acquisition of the NFL Network, while Nexstar needs
the administration’s approval to complete its $6.2 billion purchase
of broadcast rival Tegna. Sinclair has petitioned the FCC to relax
rules limiting broadcaster ownership of stations.
The suspension also happened at a time when the late night landscape
is shifting. CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show over
the summer.
Kimmel’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.”
Also Monday, ABC's “The View” weighed in on the controversy after
not raising it for two episodes after Kimmel was suspended. Co-host
Whoopi Goldberg opened the show saying: “No one silences us” and she
and her fellow hosts condemned Disney's decision.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said Monday evening
he’s willing to appear at a town hall hosted by a local ABC station
after earlier canceling his appearance due to Kimmel's suspension.
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