Late-night host reinstated after brief suspension related to comments on Maga and Charlie Kirk that Disney called ‘insensitive’
Entertainers, politicians and media personalities weighed in on Monday about ABC’s decision to return “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to television on Tuesday, with some celebrating the decision as a victory for free speech, while others said the suspension was too short.
The announcement that ABC was bringing back the show came just days after the network said it was suspending it. Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, had criticized comments made by its host, Jimmy Kimmel, about the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Critics of the suspension saw it as a threat to Americans’ constitutional rights, while other described the move as long overdue.
The announcement on Monday that the show would return to the air reignited that debate, as reactions to the news poured in.
In a post on X, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, expressed gratitude to “everyone but @BrendanCarrFCC,” tagging Mr. Carr in the post.
“This is a win for free speech everywhere,” Mr. Newsom wrote.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said in a post on X that Mr.Jimmy Kimmel’s return was about fighting for the First Amendment rights and “against these abuses by Donald Trump and Brendan Carr.”
Anna M. Gomez, the sole Democratic commissioner of the F.C.C., who condemned the move in a letter published last week, applauded Disney for “its courage in the face of clear government intimidation.”
“More importantly, I want to thank those Americans from across the ideological spectrum who spoke loudly and courageously against this blatant attempt to silence free speech,” Ms. Gomez said in a statement.
Not everyone saw Mr. Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late night as a victory.
Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News anchor turned YouTube host, said in a post on X that it “must be nice to be a leftist. ‘Cancellation’ lasts 5 nights and you’re right back under klieg lights,” Ms. Kelly said. “On the right you’re underground.”
Matt Walsh, a conservative commentator, echoed Ms. Kelly’s comments.
“Jimmy Kimmel’s show was put on pause for like 3 days and yet leftists will look us dead in the eyes and tell us that this was a greater attack on free speech than shooting and killing Charlie Kirk,” Mr. Walsh wrote in a post on X.
Earlier Monday, more than 500 actors, comedians, directors, musicians and writers joined the American Civil Liberties Union in publishing an open letter describing the decision to cancel Mr. Jimmy Kimmel’s show as unconstitutional and un-American. Signatories included Laura Dern, Ariana Grande, Tiffany Haddish, Ron Howard, John Mulaney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sean Penn, Ryan Reynolds, Barbra Streisand and Channing Tatum.
“We can rest assured this won’t be the administration’s last attempt to pressure private companies into punishing employees for speech it does not like,” Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement after the announcement of Mr. Jimmy Kimmel’s return. “Let this be a lesson to companies who consider caving: We the people are watching, and we’ll remember who stood strong in defense of free expression, and who followed the federal government’s bidding.”
The actor and director Ben Stiller celebrated the news with three raised hands emojis.
Walt Disney Company issues statement
In a statement released Monday, the Walt Disney Company explained the decision to pause production: “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 company added that it had held “thoughtful conversations” with Jimmy Kimmel in the days since the incident: “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy Kimmel, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
JUST IN: Jimmy Kimmel's show returning on Tuesday, ABC announcing they had ‘thoughtful conversations’
— 🌸 Digi Gal ✨ (@DigitalGal_X) September 22, 2025
That was a short suspension pic.twitter.com/gViXJ2IDn1
What sparked the suspension?
During his monologue last Monday, Jimmy Kimmel criticized what he referred to as the “MAGA gang,” commenting, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
The backlash escalated quickly. By Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr publicly weighed in, threatening regulatory action.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly on Jimmy Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said on The Benny Show.
That same day, major local broadcasting groups Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would no longer air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their ABC-affiliated stations.
Facing mounting pressure and the threat of losing wide distribution, ABC preempted the show across all its stations, including those owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, parent of Scripps News.
Amid growing backlash and the risk of widespread distribution loss, ABC pulled the show from its lineup across all affiliated stations, including those owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, the parent of Scripps News.
Celebrity support
Ms Gomez also thanked Americans across the ideological spectrum who protested against “this blatant attempt to silence free speech” and vowed to “combat these efforts to stifle free expression”.
ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmelwas met with protests in California and lambasted by the writers and actors guilds, lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alike, who argued that the suspension violates free speech rights and spurs a chilling effect.
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night colleagues, including Jon Stewart, John Oliver and outgoing CBS host Stephen Colbert, rallied behind him and hundreds of celebrities and Hollywood creatives signed a letter backing Kimmel.
Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro are among those who called Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation”.
Critics have also called for the cancellation of Disney+, Hulu and other Disney-owned subscription services to cut into the entertainment conglomerate’s bottom line over it decision to suspend Kimmel.
Controversial remarks
Kimmel, who has frequently targeted Trump in his show, drew fire for remarks he made last Monday about the September 10 assassination of Kirk, who was shot down while addressing a crowd of 3,000 people on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.
Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative political activist and podcast host, had been credited for building support for Trump and the Republican Party among young voters in 2024.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old technical school student from Utah, has been charged with Kirk’s murder, but the precise motive for the killing remains unclear.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has used his office and the courts to attack unflattering speech about him that he has called defamatory or false. Throughout both his terms, Trump has threatened to rescind licences for local broadcast affiliates of national networks. Licences are approved by the FCC, a nominally independent regulatory body.
Disney’s move signals the first big push back against the Trump administration by big media.
The ABC suspended Kimmel’s show on Wednesday after Carr threatened investigations and regulatory action against licensed broadcasters who aired Kimmel.
The owners of dozens of local television stations affiliated with the ABC said they would no longer carry the show, including Nexstar, which needs FCC approval for a $6.2bn merger with Tegna.
On Friday, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, a Republican, said that Carr’s threat was dangerous.
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