Jimmy Kimmel’s show will return after censorship outrage

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show is returning on Tuesday after Disney pulled it off the air over comments made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In a statement on Monday, Disney said it planned to resume production after having “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel. “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,” Disney said. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.” The original decision was made shortly after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr threatened the operating licenses of broadcast stations that aired Kimmel’s show, a move that put ABC under pressure from major broadcasting companies Nexstar and Sinclair, both of which said they would no longer transmit Kimmel’s show. Even with Jimmy Kimmel Live! returning to its normal schedule, not all ABC affiliates will air it. “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,” said Sinclair. “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.” Sinclair controls 39 local ABC affiliates across the US, including Washington DC. The Verge reached out to Nexstar but didn’t immediately hear back. During the episode that got Jimmy Kimmel Live! pulled off the airwaves, Kimmel remarked that “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.” Carr claimed the statement violated broadcasters’ mandate to act in the “public interest” and said they could handle Kimmel “the easy way or the hard way” — the latter with the FCC involved. The decision to suspend Kimmel’s talk show sparked outrage among Democratic lawmakers, free speech advocates, and hundreds of celebrities who signed a letter in support of Kimmel, calling the situation a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.” The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would retaliate against Disney, ABC, or broadcasters that put Kimmel’s show back on the air. “I am glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation,” Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said in response to the decision. “It will continue to be up to us as citizens to push back against this Administration’s growing campaign of censorship and control.” Update, September 22nd: Added a statement from Gomez and Sinclair.