Kimmel returns with monologue defending free speech: "We have to stand up"
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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday night. Photo: Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images
Jimmy Kimmel addressed ABC suspending his show over the late-night host's comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing, as it returned to air on Tuesday night.
The big picture: Just before "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" aired, President Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that ABC told his officials the show had been canceled and he thinks he'll "test" the network, noting it settled his lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos' comments for $16 million.
- Kimmel said on his return show that Trump "did his best to cancel me," but that "backfired bigly" and instead "forced millions of people to watch" his show.
- While Disney brought "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" back to ABC after a week off the air, Sinclair and Nexstar blocked the show from more than a quarter of ABC affiliates — something the late-night host also addressed in his monologue.
What he's saying: "As I was saying before I was interrupted. If you're just joining us, we are preempting your regularly scheduled encore episode of 'Celebrity Family Feud' to bring you this special report. I'm happy to be here tonight with you," Kimmel said in his opening monologue.
- "I'm not sure who had a weirder 48 hours, me or the CEO of Tylenol," he said, in reference to Trump's warning to pregnant women that prompted the drug's maker to emphasize there's "no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism."
- Kimmel said he disagreed with ABC parent company Disney's decision to take his show off air, but he thanked the company for bringing it back.
- He thanked those who'd shown support, including fellow late-night hosts in multiple countries, noting a "guy in Germany" offered him job. "Can you imagine this country has become so authoritarian that Germany is like 'come here?'" Kimmel said.
- Kimmel also thanked conservatives who'd criticized the suspension, including Sen. Ted Cruz.
Of note: The late-night host addressed FCC chair Brendan Carr's remarks on a podcast last week that "we can do this the hard way or the easy way" and that companies can find ways "to take action on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
- Kimmel said, "Telling an American company 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way' or that 'These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,' in addition to being a direct violation of the first amendment, is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public."
For the record: Carr clarified that he was talking about "when concerns are raised about news distortion" and denied he was making threats.
Zoom in: "Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television, and that we have to stand up to it," Kimmel said.
- Kimmel said he wanted to be clear that "it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," his voice breaking as he referenced Kirk's killing in Utah.
- It wasn't his intention "to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual," Kimmel said. "That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.
- "But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way," he added.
- Kimmel said he had loved ones "on the other side" of politics and he doesn't think "the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone," they're "a sick person who believed violence was a solution and it isn't."
The bottom line: The audience cheered Kimmel as he said his program isn't important, but living in a country "that allows us to have a show like this" is, noting he'd spent time with entertainers from countries who'd been jailed "or worse" for making fun of those in power.
- "Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country, and that's something I'm embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen [Colbert] off the air and try to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live in to take my show off the air," Kimmel said.
- "That's not legal. That's not American. That is unAmerican."
Watch the show below:
More from Axios:
- Trump suggests pulling TV licenses after Kimmel
- Kimmel breaks silence ahead of suspended show's return
- Senate Republicans squirm over FCC comments on Jimmy Kimmel
- Trump slams Kimmel's return: "We're going to test ABC out on this"
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
