Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night perch on ABC this week, ending a brief suspension that drew national attention to the intersection of politics, broadcasting and government oversight.
The network said “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will resume production Tuesday night after “thoughtful conversations” between Kimmel and parent company Disney.
“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,” a Disney spokesman 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.”
ABC pulled the show after Kimmel made remarks about the suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. On his program last Monday, Kimmel said, “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 with everything they can to score political points from it.”
The comments triggered a swift backlash. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly threatened ABC, telling the network it needed to “find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” He called the remarks “some of the sickest conduct possible.”
Nexstar and Sinclair, two of the country’s largest station owners, soon said their ABC affiliates would preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for the foreseeable future. Hours later, Disney opted to pause the program altogether.
Carr’s comments have raised questions, given both companies currently have major business before the FCC. Nexstar is working to finalize a $6 billion merger with Tegna, while Sinclair is buying and selling stations in deals that also require regulatory approval.
On social media, Carr defended the networks’ actions, writing: “Broadcast TV stations have always been required by their licenses to operate in the public interest — that includes serving the needs of their local communities.”
But FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez warned the affair was a clear case of government overreach.
“That led to a shameful show of cowardly corporate capitulation by ABC that has put the foundation of the First Amendment in danger,” Gomez said.
Gomez argued Nexstar and Sinclair’s pending deals likely made them more vulnerable to pressure from regulators.
“When corporations surrender in the face of that pressure, they endanger not just themselves, but the right to free expression for everyone in this country,” she said.
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Read more:
- ABC pulls “Jimmy Kimmel Live” amid threats from FCC chairman
- Nexstar confirms plan to acquire TEGNA for $6.2 billion
- Law firm files FCC complaint against TV station over Kimmel monologue
- Trump urges FCC to pull TV station licenses over negative coverage
- Broadcasters who criticized Jimmy Kimmel have deals pending before FCC
