ABC reinstates Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show

Jimmy Kimmel Live! will air again on Tuesday, following an indefinite suspension last week over its host’s comments on the show about the death of Charlie Kirk. The Walt Disney Company, which owns the American Broadcasting Corporation, said it temporarily yanked Jimmy Kimmel’s show to avoid inflaming national tensions. The company decided to reinstate the show after days of thoughtful conversations with Kimmel, it said in a statement.

Kimmel sparked a backlash for characterizing Kirk’s shooter as a member of the “MAGA gang” in his monologue on the Sept. 15 show, five days after the shooting. He also accused conservatives of using the tragedy to score political points. His temporary suspension came after several broadcast affiliates took offense to his comments and pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. The Federal Communications Commission chairman also threatened ABC with the potential loss of its license.

How did the broadcasters and FCC respond to Kimmel’s reinstatement? The Sinclair media conglomerate said it would preempt the show across its ABC affiliate networks beginning Tuesday night. It would run news programming instead, while talks with ABC about the show’s content were ongoing, it said. Nexstar Media Group, which also dropped Kimmel’s show, told WORLD that it would similarly preempt the program. Nexstar would monitor the show, waiting for assurance that it would focus on respectful, constructive dialogue, the company said.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who previously threatened to suspend ABC’s license, on Tuesday praised Sinclair for its refusal to resume airing the show. But FCC Commissioner Anna N. Gomez celebrated Kimmel’s reinstatement. She thanked Disney for resisting what she characterized as government attempts to stifle free speech. 

Dig deeper: Read my report on Kimmel’s suspension and the firings of other people over their Charlie Kirk comments.