ABC Lifts Jimmy Kimmel Suspension Following His Controversial Charlie Kirk Remarks

Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is returning to the air on Tuesday after a brief but controversial suspension by ABC.

The show was pulled from the air last week after Kimmel made controversial remarks about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The move to take Kimmel off the air sparked widespread criticism, with many slamming ABC and Disney for seemingly censoring one of its employees.

Now, after "thoughtful conversations" with Jimmy Kimmel, ABC has announced the show is moving forward.

"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," ABC said in a statement, according to 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."

The announcement is a major shift from the network's statement just days ago that it was halting production on the series "for the foreseeable future."

The controversy began during Kimmel's September 16 monologue, where he aimed at what he called the "MAGA gang" and their reaction to Kirk's murder.

"We had 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," he said.

Shortly after, Kimmel aimed at President Trump, mocking his response when asked how he was "holding up" after Kirk's murder.

"I think very good," Trump said before quickly changing the topic to focus on the expanding White House ballroom.

"He's at the fourth stage of grief, construction," Kimmel said about Trump in his monologue. "This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish."

Kimmel's suspension was met with immediate and widespread outrage, as fans, celebrities, and politicians alike voiced their opinions on ABC's decision.

Olivia Rodrigo spoke out on social media, calling the suspension "blatant censorship and abuse of power." She also reshared David Letterman's passionate statement on her Instagram Stories, in which he said, "You can't go around firing somebody because you're fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian, a criminal, administration in the Oval Office. That's just not how this works."

Fellow late-night show host Stephen Colbert blasted ABC in a monologue on his show, saying, "I'll say this for my network. They wouldn't have done this. Now, regardless of what you think, that has already been done and how that looks, this is weak. This is blatant censorship."

Former Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris also chimed in, echoing Rodrigo's statements and later accusing Trump's administration of "attacking" American citizens who share differing opinions.

"This administration is attacking critics and using fear as a weapon to silence anyone who would speak out," she said. She also called the act of silencing individuals an "assault" on their freedom, later adding, "We, the People, deserve better."

Not all notable figures were eager to support Kimmel, however. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, for example, took to social media to fire back at those who were accusing the right of engaging in "cancel culture."

According to the controversial social media personality, Kimmel's show being pulled isn't "cancel culture" because the TV host said something "a ton of people find offensive, rude, [and] dumb in real time."

"Like if Kimmel got canceled for sh-t he did on 'The Man Show,' that would be cancel culture," he said. However, because Kimmel's statements were recent, Portnoy called his show's pause "consequences for your actions."

President Trump celebrated ABC's decision to pull Kimmel's show last week with a post on his Truth Social account, calling it "great news for America," according to a previous report from The Blast.

"The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," the politician wrote.

He went as far as to say Kimmel has "ZERO" talent and that a slew of other talk shows should also be axed.

"That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it, NBC!!! President DJT!" he wrote.