Jimmy Kimmel's Show Set to Return After Controversial Suspension

Fri Oct 10 2025 11:30:50 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Jimmy Kimmel Live is back on air after a suspension triggered by comments surrounding the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, sparking discussions on free speech and censorship.

After a brief suspension due to contentious remarks made by host Jimmy Kimmel regarding the death of Charlie Kirk, Disney announced that 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' will resume airing on Tuesday. The decision followed significant debates over freedom of speech and reactions from high-profile figures, including Donald Trump. The suspension and subsequent reinstatement have elicited varied reactions, including support from Kimmel's late-night colleagues, while affiliates and regulators continue to weigh in on the broader implications for broadcast media.

US comedian Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night talk show on Tuesday after he was suspended for making jokes relating to the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Disney, which owns the US broadcast network that airs *Jimmy Kimmel Live*, said on Monday that it suspended the show because it 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, Disney said.

The comic's abrupt suspension came after threats by the federal TV regulator to revoke ABC's broadcast licence, sparking nationwide debates over free speech.

US President Donald Trump had welcomed Kimmel's suspension and suggested that some TV networks should have their licences taken away for negative coverage of the president.

Trump did not address Kimmel's reinstatement when a reporter asked about it during a White House event on Monday.

Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, said on Monday it will replace *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* with news programming across its ABC affiliate stations from Tuesday.

Sinclair previously called Kimmel's remarks inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country and said it would not lift the suspension before having formal discussions with ABC.

Critics and First Amendment advocates railed against ABC's decision last week as censorship and a violation of free speech. Kimmel, who has hosted the late-night programme since 2003, has not publicly addressed the suspension or its fallout.

The row started after Kimmel's 15 September monologue where he criticized political responses to Kirk's death. Following his comments, Nexstar and Sinclair suspended the show, while ABC issued an indefinite suspension demanding an apology from Kimmel.

In the aftermath, prominent figures from Hollywood rallied behind Kimmel, rallying against what many perceived as an attack on free expression and the censorship of viewpoints critical of political narratives.