Recommended for you
After Jimmy Kimmel's suspension following his comments regarding Charlie Kirk's death last week, ABC has announced that the comedian will be returning to late night TV. Per Deadline, ABC had “thoughtful conversations” with their parent company Disney that has brought Jimmy Kimmel Live! back to TV.
Here's what we know about the Jimmy Kimmel's return — and how you can watch Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week.
Why isn't Jimmy Kimmel hosting?
After Jimmy Kimmel commented on Charlie Kirk's death, ABC preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live! (which just means they basically removed the show from the air to prevent further action). Other stations like Nexstar and Sinclair also preempted the show.
On Monday September 15, Jimmy 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.”
Deadline also reports that Brendan Carr (FCC chairman) threatened ABC, saying they needed to take action against Kimmel, although Carr later stated his comments were not a threat to remove ABC station licenses.
The decision resulted in significant response from the public, celebrities, and even politicians claiming removing the show was infringing upon the First Amendment.
Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Ben Platt, Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jennifer Aniston are just a few of the celebs who signed an ACLU open letter in favor of free speech.
So what's this about Jimmy Kimmel's return?
On Monday September 22, it was announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return to ABC. His first show back is on September 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," a Disney spokesperson told Deadline. "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.”
Where can I watch Jimmy Kimmel Live!?
Disney/Randy Holmes
Sinclair and Nexus will both continue their preempts, but there are other ways you can watch the show.
So you might not be able to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live! on local ABC affiliate networks, it will be available on ABC and streamers like Disney+ or Hulu.
“We made a decision last week to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse," Nexstar told NBC in a statement. "We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve."
"We note that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets,” Nexstar's statement continued.
Let us know your thoughts on Facebook.
