The storm around late-night television reached new heights this week as comedian Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show following a six-day suspension, while US President Donald Trump erupted with joy over ABC’s decision to pull ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ from its schedule “indefinitely.”
The controversy began after Kimmel made remarks during his monologue about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing, suggesting that members of MAGA were trying to characterize suspected shooter Tyler Robinson as anything other than one of them. The comments triggered a firestorm among conservative commentators and led to swift backlash.
Media giant Nexstar, one of the largest TV station owners in the US, vowed to pre-empt Kimmel’s broadcasts, declaring they strongly objected to the segment. The pressure mounted when FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC, insisting broadcasters had a responsibility to serve the public interest. Shortly after, ABC yanked new episodes of the show, sparking what Carr called an “unprecedented but necessary” decision.
The move was met with cheers from Trump, who wasted no time in gloating on Truth Social:
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible… That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
But while Trump reveled in Kimmel’s apparent downfall, the late-night host made an emotional and defiant return on Tuesday night. Opening the show with clips from news outlets framing his suspension as “one of the most pivotal moments in broadcast history,” Kimmel appeared alongside Guillermo Rodriguez, dressed as a tiger and a banana, before walking onstage to thunderous applause.
With his trademark humor, Kimmel broke the tension, “I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours, me or the CEO of Tylenol.” He went on to thank industry colleagues such as Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Conan O’Brien, James Corden, Jay Leno, Howard Stern and David Letterman for rallying to his defense.
In a surprising twist, Kimmel also expressed gratitude toward conservative voices who defended his right to speak, despite disagreeing with him ideologically. “Maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway,” he said, singling out Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
Choking back emotion, he added, “Even though I don’t agree with many of those people on most subjects, some of the things they say even make me want to throw up, it takes courage for them to speak out against this administration, and they did, and they deserve credit for it.”
For now, ABC has yet to clarify the long-term fate of Jimmy Kimmel Live! But one thing is certain: between Trump’s rage and Kimmel’s resilience, late-night television has rarely felt this politically charged, or this personal.
