Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC for a second night in a row after a suspension that ignited a national debate about free speech, using his late-night platform to deliver an extended critique of President Donald Trump.
Kimmel claimed that people wanted him yanked off the air for making jokes about Donald Trump. Of course, this is a tenuous argument. Countless people tell jokes about Trump on the air.
As the Disney statement made clear, he was suspended for making “insensitive” comments at a time of heightened national tensions. This was also misleading, given that the controversy involved him knowingly spreading a dangerous hoax that one of the “MAGA gang” had assassinated conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Tyler Robinson, according to investigators, was radicalized by extreme leftist views.
The clash between the comedian and the White House has now spilled over into the television industry, with major ABC affiliates refusing to air Kimmel’s show despite the network’s decision to reinstate him.
Kimmel responded directly to Trump’s Truth Social post, in which the president wrote, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back.” On air, Kimmel quipped, “You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe we gave you your job back!”
Trump had further accused Kimmel of putting ABC “in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat garbage” and suggested he might file a lawsuit, hinting at a repeat of the $16 million settlement he received from Paramount earlier this year.
Kimmel mocked the threat, saying, “Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC.”
In his return on Tuesday, Kimmel did not apologize but instead insisted that he had not intended to make light of Kirk’s death. He said he was not trying to blame any particular group for the act, describing the accused shooter as “a deeply disturbed individual.”
He acknowledged that his comments may have seemed “ill-timed or unclear,” but he refused to apologize and criticized ABC affiliates that had removed his show from their lineups.
Despite ABC’s decision to put him back on the air, two of the country’s largest station groups remain unmoved. Nexstar Media Group said it would continue preempting Kimmel’s program.
At the same time, executives held discussions with Disney, arguing that the show must better reflect “the diverse interests of the communities we serve.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group confirmed it would keep replacing Kimmel’s show with news programming unless the host issued a direct apology to Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, and made donations to her family and to Turning Point USA.
Kimmel did not do so during his return.
Together, Nexstar and Sinclair own affiliates that account for roughly one-quarter of ABC’s national reach, leaving millions of viewers unable to see the program.
The battle over Kimmel’s suspension and reinstatement comes at a time of upheaval in late-night television.
CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s Late Show earlier this summer following a settlement with Trump in a defamation case.
Ratings across the late-night genre have declined overall as audiences increasingly consume monologue clips online rather than watching full programs.
Kimmel’s contract with ABC reportedly runs through May of next year but it’s unclear if anything will change before then.
