Jimmy Kimmel Returns, Addresses Charlie Kirk Comments In Teary Non-Apology

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel made his return to television Tuesday night after almost one week of suspension.

He started out his monologue by thanking the audience and other late night hosts and fans for reaching out during his suspension.

Kimmel also addressed the comments that got him suspended in the first place — though notably, he never actually apologized.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said as he started becoming visibly emotional. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it … nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for what was the actions … of an obviously deeply disturbed individual. 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 to those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset.”

“I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. I think this was a sick person who believed violence was a solution,” he added.

Kimmel went on a rant about free speech, said it was “un-American” to take certain shows off the air, then equated his show being removed with Stephen Colbert’s “The Tonight Show” getting canceled, despite indications that the two situations were totally different.

The late night host went hard after President Trump, accusing him of not being able to “take a joke” and saying he wanted most late night shows to get canceled. Meanwhile, he played a clip of Trump saying he believed Kimmel had “no talent” as a way to prove that the president was trying to control free speech.

Later in the monologue, Kimmel also mentioned Kirk’s widow, Erika, forgiving her husband’s assassin during the memorial service over the weekend. Kimmel got emotional again when discussing her speech, calling her act of forgiveness “a selfless act of grace.” 

“That is an example we should follow,” Kimmel said.

The entertainment industry was in an uproar after Kimmel’s show was taken off the air last week over statements he made about the man who assassinated Charlie Kirk.

Even though “Jimmy Kimmel Live” came back Tuesday night, it was limited in distribution and still preempted in certain markets.

That’s because major media players Sinclair and Nexstar both announced they still would not be airing new episodes of Kimmel’s show. The two broadcast companies own or control nearly 80 ABC affiliates between them.

While Nexstar called Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s alleged killer “ill-timed and insensitive,” Disney backtracked on their original stance after enduring days of extreme backlash from fans and celebrities.

“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” Disney said earlier this week.

Kimmel was taken off the air due to comments he made about the accused assassin of Kirk.

“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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said at the time.