Jimmy Kimmel returned to his ABC late-night show on Tuesday night, delivering an emotional and fiery monologue after his brief suspension that had sparked controversy across the media landscape.
The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! came back to a standing ovation and chants of his name from the studio audience, mixing gratitude with sharp barbs aimed at former President Donald Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Both had publicly criticized Kimmel in recent weeks, with Trump openly calling for his firing.
Kimmel wasted no time addressing the situation head-on. “He did his best to cancel me,” Kimmel said of Trump. “Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”
The comedian accused Trump of targeting not just him but also other late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers. “Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke,” Kimmel said. He called on viewers to speak out loudly if further attempts were made to silence his colleagues.
Kimmel’s suspension had triggered a wave of protest, with some viewers canceling their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions in solidarity. He thanked fans and fellow comedians – including icons like David Letterman and Howard Stern – for their support during what he called an “overwhelming” time. “Maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show or what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,” Kimmel added.
The late-night host also broadened his remarks to highlight what he described as troubling threats to free speech and press freedom. He referenced recent Pentagon-related restrictions on journalists and warned about “the government picking and choosing what the news is.”
The tone of the monologue shifted at times from comedic to emotional. Kimmel acknowledged the seriousness of the moment, telling his audience, “The truth is, I don’t think what I have to say is gonna make much of a difference. If you like me, you like me. If you don’t, you don’t. I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind.”
Kimmel, who has hosted his show since 2003, admitted receiving “ugly and scary” threats directed at himself, his family, and his coworkers. But he emphasized that the larger issue was not about him. “This show is not important,” he said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
Disney suspended Kimmel after Nexstar Media Group, owner of dozens of ABC affiliates, said it would drop Jimmy Kimmel Live! over comments the comedian made about Republican responses to the killing of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel later clarified that it was never his intention to make light of the tragedy or to blame a specific group.
By the end of the show, Kimmel struck a defiant but grateful tone. “If Ted Cruz can’t speak freely, then he can’t cast spells on the Smurfs,” he joked, after acknowledging the senator’s rare defense of free speech rights in Kimmel’s case.
Kimmel closed with a reminder of what was at stake. “That’s not legal, that’s not American, that is un-American,” he said of efforts to pull his show off the air. “What is important is that freedom of speech survives, no matter who’s in power.”
His return signaled not just a continuation of his late-night career but also a renewed focus on the larger debate over comedy, politics, and free expression in America.
