Mixed reaction after ABC reinstates “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following brief suspension

CHICAGO (WGN) — “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to ABC airwaves Tuesday night following a brief suspension after the late-night host’s comments about President Donald Trump and the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel’s suspension quickly became one of the most talked-about stories in the country. Some believed it was past time that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and corporations scrutinize the content on late-night TV, while others saw it as censorship.

According to a statement by the Walt Disney Company, Kimmel’s show will return Tuesday, Sept. 23.

“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,” the company said. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. 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.”

The Kimmel comments in question were made last Monday. 

“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,” Kimmel said on Sept. 15.

Two days later, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called on broadcasters to drop Kimmel, warning that the FCC could take action.

The largest owner of local TV stations, Nexstar Media Group, which owns WGN-TV, decided not to air the program on its ABC stations, citing Kimmel’s comments as “offensive and insensitive.”

ABC followed by suspending Kimmel’s program indefinitely. His removal became a flashpoint for free speech in America.

President Trump and some conservatives celebrated the move. Others saw it as government intimidation and corporate capitulation.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, in a statement to the Chicago Tribune, called on people to boycott ABC and Nexstar-owned properties, including ABC 7 and WGN. The governor later said he was not calling for the punishment of local journalists.

“The FCC has the power to award and renew broadcast licenses and that it’s supposed to review those licenses to make sure that broadcasters are acting in what law calls the public interest convenience, then necessity. Obviously, the license renewal power is kind of a de facto censorship power,” said Craig Lamay, with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Reaction to Kimmel’s return is mixed. The executive producer of the Charlie Kirk Show posted on X, “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.”

Pritzker also commented on ABC’s reinstatement of Kimmel’s show.

“Looking forward to seeing Jimmy back on the air,” the governor said.

It is still unclear whether Nexstar or Sinclair, which also objected to Kimmel’s comments, will air future episodes of Kimmel, as neither operator has commented as of the time of this publication.