Jimmy Kimmel Teases FCC Chase As His Show Hits The Road

Jimmy Kimmel has big plans for his late-night show, and he isn’t holding back the jokes while announcing them.

Days after returning from a short suspension, the comedian revealed that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is heading to Brooklyn for a special week of broadcasts.

Kimmel teased that the move will help him “stay on the run” from the FCC, while also lining up an impressive roster of celebrity guests for the road shows.

During his Thursday, September 25 monologue, Kimmel playfully addressed the challenges of being back on air while teasing the show’s trip to New York.

“We are broadcasting to about 75 percent of the country from Los Angeles, California tonight,” he began, highlighting the rapid increase in ratings since his September 23 return.

He then announced that starting Monday, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would broadcast from the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

“What we have to do now is stay on the move so the FCC can’t get us,” the star joked.

He added that the entire crew, including Guillermo Rodriguez, Lou Wilson, and the house band, would be joining him, along with “a big bottle of Tylenol just for fun,” a jab referencing Donald Trump’s recent comments about the drug.

The Brooklyn broadcasts will mark the seventh time “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has taken the show to New York, with this round of episodes set to air from September 29 through October 3.

Jimmy Kimmel won’t be heading to New York alone.

ABC confirmed that the Brooklyn shows will feature appearances from some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Emily Blunt, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hanks, Stephen Colbert, Spike Lee, Kumail Nanjiani, Bruce Springsteen, and Jeremy Allen White are all scheduled to join.

Musical guests also include Public Enemy, Geese, Living Colour, and Reneé Rapp.

According to the network, the shows will tape before live audiences at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House, offering fans in New York a chance to experience Kimmel’s return in person.

Behind the scenes, the series continues to be led by executive producers Kimmel, Erin Irwin, Molly McNearney, Jennifer Sharron, and David Craig.

Kimmel’s latest FCC joke comes just after he responded to Trump’s harsh criticism of his reinstatement.

On his September 24 show, the comedian read aloud a Truth Social post in which Trump blasted ABC for putting him back on air.

“You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe they gave you your job back!” the “Smurfs” star fired back, drawing laughs from the audience.

He noted that Trump’s claims about ABC being “put in jeopardy” by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” sounded more like a threat than a critique.

“Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC,” Kimmel quipped.

A day before the episode, Disney, which owns ABC, had announced that the show would return after a weeklong suspension.

Executives explained that the decision to pause production resulted from “ill-timed and insensitive” comments Kimmel made following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

After days of being entangled in a heated controversy, the host clarified on-air that he never intended to make light of the tragedy and expressed sympathy to Kirk’s family.

Fighting back tears, Jimmy Kimmel praised Kirk’s widow, Erika, for publicly forgiving the accused shooter, calling her actions “a selfless act of grace.”

The 57-year-old also opened up about how he leaned on his family for support, especially his mother, Joann Lacono, during the difficult time.

According to the Daily Mail, he admitted that his mom “relentlessly kept making food” for him while he was off-air, even baking cookies with his face on them.

While Kimmel's revelation sparked jokes online about him being “babied,” Kimmel took it in stride.

His parents were also in attendance for that emotional return episode.

Audience members noted that Lacono was seen wiping away tears as she watched her son reclaim his late-night stage.

The suspension saga gave “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” one of its biggest boosts in years.

Reports revealed that Kimmel’s first episode back drew 6.26 million viewers, more than triple his usual audience of 1.8 million.

The episode marked his highest ratings in over a decade.

In addition, clips of his comeback monologue have been viewed more than 25 million times on social media platforms, proving that the controversy only increased interest in the show.

Not all affiliates welcomed him back, however. Sinclair and Nexstar stations, which represent roughly a third of ABC affiliates, chose not to air the program.

Still, the Brooklyn shows are expected to draw strong attention, especially due to the celebrity guest list.