Jimmy Kimmel opened his first programme since being taken off air last week with remarks about the controversy over his earlier comments on the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
What Jimmy Kimmel said about the suspension
The host appeared emotional and said he did not mean to make light of the death.
“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” he said.
He added that it was not his intention to blame any particular group for the act, which he described as the work of “a deeply disturbed individual.”
Kimmel told viewers he understood why some people found his earlier remarks “ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both.”
He praised Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, for forgiving her husband’s killer, Tyler Robinson, at the memorial service and called that forgiveness “a selfless act of grace … that touched me deeply.”
Kimmel also addressed the decision by several local television stations to stop showing his programme. He called those actions unlawful and described them as un-American.
“That’s not legal. That’s not American. It’s un-American,” he said.
He thanked colleagues and viewers who had supported his return to the air.
Disney later announced the show would return to ABC’s network. The company’s announcement followed public debate and internal decisions by some ABC affiliates.
Two major operators said they still would not carry the episode, per Sky News reports.
Donald Trump reacts to the Jimmy Kimmel show retur
US President Donald Trump issued a public response to Jimmy Kimmel’s return to television.
In his comments, Trump criticised ABC and called Kimmel’s work “not funny,” saying the host pushes “positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
Trump also said his team would consider legal action against ABC over the decision to bring the show back.
“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative,” he wrote.
The episode followed criticism of Kimmel’s earlier remarks that accused political figures of “capitalising” on Kirk’s killing.
Critics called the comments offensive and insensitive. Kimmel’s return show repeated that he did not mean to mock the death, and he expressed sympathy for the family.