Jimmy Kimmel reveals truth about Charlie Kirk comments in new monologue

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Jimmy Kimmel was back on television last night, September 23rd, after being off the air. He delivered a heartfelt speech addressing the controversy surrounding his comments about Charlie Kirk‘s passing.

I was watching Jimmy Kimmel the other night, and he made a really good point. He said that people who support Trump – he called them the ‘MAGA gang’ – are really scrambling to distance themselves from the guy who attacked Charlie Kirk. It seems like they’re trying to avoid being associated with him and are more focused on using the situation to their political advantage than anything else.

Following that statement, conservative critics, including FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, claimed Jimmy Kimmel wrongly connected the person who killed Kirk to supporters of Donald Trump. However, it wasn’t clear if Kimmel was actually referencing a broader change in political climate, as the majority of his segment focused on criticizing Trump’s reaction to the murder.

Despite this, when Carr warned ABC that the FCC would take swift action, the Disney-owned network temporarily removed Kimmel from the air. This decision ignited a strong debate about free speech and led to many people calling for a boycott of Disney.

Jimmy Kimmel addresses Charlie Kirk in new monologue 

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was back on ABC last night after reaching an agreement with Disney. Host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a long opening speech, covering the week’s events – including his reaction to the passing of Kirk Douglas.

Look, I get it – people have different opinions, and that’s okay. Even though I feel strongly about who killed Kirk, I’ve got tons of friends and family who see things differently, and I still love ’em. We don’t let politics get in the way of our relationships, you know?

The person who attacked Charlie Kirk doesn’t speak for anyone. They were clearly disturbed and wrongly thought violence could solve problems – which it never does. Personally, I receive many threats as well.

Because of my views, I regularly receive disturbing and frightening threats targeting me, my family, and those I work with. I’m certain these threats aren’t coming from people on the right – people I know and care about.

As the monologue continued, Kimmel became visibly moved when discussing Erika Kirk, the widow of Bob Kirk. She shared at her husband’s memorial service on Sunday, September 21st, that she forgives Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing him.

The conversation started when the host talked about bringing people together. He admitted he wasn’t prepared for this, saying, “I never thought I’d be here, and I didn’t even try very hard in school.”

I realized from watching comedians like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Howard Stern that when a government tries to silence a comedian simply because the president doesn’t like their jokes, it goes against American principles. I’m encouraged to see agreement on this point from people across the political spectrum – both on the right, the left, and those like Joe Rogan who are more independent.

Perhaps something positive to come out of this is that we’ve identified at least one area where we share common ground, and hopefully we can find more. We actually agree on quite a few things, like protecting children from gun violence, supporting women’s reproductive rights, preserving Social Security, ensuring affordable healthcare, and funding research to fight pediatric cancer.

It’s time we started telling politicians what *we* want, instead of the other way around. Over the weekend, something truly inspiring happened. You might have seen it on Sunday: Erica Kirk showed incredible grace by forgiving the man who shot her husband.

Honestly, that game really stuck with me. It was a powerful experience, and I hope others feel it too. If anything good can come from the difficult things it showed, I hope it’s the *message* it delivered, not just the darkness around it.

Despite the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! to ABC and its availability on Hulu, many local ABC stations – those owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group – chose not to broadcast the program.

Okay, as a big TV fan, this is really frustrating! Disney just pulled Jimmy Kimmel because of political pressure, and now I’m learning Nexstar – they own The CW and a ton of local stations like ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX – is connected to all of this. It feels like they’re all in on it. So, I’m joining the call to boycott Disney and Nexstar, and more importantly, let’s hit their wallets by boycotting the companies that advertise with them. We need to show them we won’t stand for this!

— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) September 18, 2025

ABC didn’t respond until Sinclair and Nexstar said they would stop airing Jimmy Kimmel’s show after a segment by John Oliver. This happened as it became known that Nexstar is asking the FCC to approve a $6.2 billion deal to buy Tegna.

Just like NBC, CBS also revealed recently that Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show will conclude after its current season.

While the network stated the decision was due to financial reasons, others suggest Stephen Colbert’s criticism of Donald Trump and the need for FCC approval of the merger between Paramount (CBS’s owner) and Skydance may have played a role.

I was really struck by what Jimmy Kimmel said on his show last night. He admitted he used to just assume we’d always have free speech here, but then it hit him when Stephen Colbert faced trouble and they tried to pressure the local stations that broadcast Jimmy’s show to cancel it. It was a real wake-up call for him, and honestly, it really resonated with me too.

The actions were widely considered unlawful and a betrayal of American principles, with many calling them extremely risky. Criticism was also directed at the President and Carr, and a comedic sketch featuring Robert De Niro highlighted the disapproval.

Is Donald Trump suing ABC?

Even though Jimmy Kimmel asked for support, Donald Trump reacted negatively to the news of his return. Trump criticized the decision on his social media platform, Truth Social, and suggested he might sue, but so far, no legal action has been filed.

He expressed disbelief that ABC News reinstated Jimmy Kimmel, claiming the White House had been informed the show was previously cancelled.

It’s clear something changed because he’s lost his audience, and it’s becoming apparent he wasn’t as talented as people once thought. There’s no logical reason to bring back someone who consistently performs poorly, isn’t funny, and risks damaging the network with heavily biased political content.

Okay, so we’re going after ABC this time. I’m curious to see how it goes – last time I targeted them, I walked away with $16 million! This opportunity sounds even better, honestly. They seem like an easy win.

The $16 million likely refers to a legal victory for Donald Trump. He won the amount in a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures related to a 60 Minutes interview featuring then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which was even referenced in a recent South Park episode.

It’s questionable whether a similar large settlement will happen again. Networks usually defend themselves in defamation or contract disputes, and any future lawsuit would likely be heavily scrutinized, especially given current debates about free speech.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ratings and online response

We don’t have the official numbers yet, but last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! likely drew millions of viewers.

Nielsen reports the show averaged 1.77 million viewers per episode in the second quarter of 2025. This is a considerable drop from 2015, when it averaged around 2.4 million viewers.

That’s not necessarily a negative thing, though. Viewership for late-night shows has generally decreased as people increasingly watch streaming services and use social media, so Kimmel’s ratings actually reflect what’s happening across the entire television industry.

Jimmy Kimmel’s show continues to do well with important viewer groups, and ABC is highlighting its success online as much as on television. The recent attention surrounding his temporary suspension definitely led to increased viewership last night.

‘JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!’ returns tomorrow

— ScreenTime (@screentime) September 22, 2025

However, the reaction online has been even more significant. The clip from the show has already garnered over 5.6 million views on YouTube in just six hours, and that number is still increasing.

I’m loving this show – it’s amazing they’re making it available so quickly! I saw someone online say it’s a lifesaver for those of us who don’t have access through normal channels, and I totally get it. It’s great they’re thinking of everyone.

One viewer expressed disbelief, saying they never imagined they wouldn’t be able to watch a TV show in their own country. They were upset that their local ABC station in East Tennessee, which is owned by Nexstar, wasn’t airing Jimmy Kimmel Live, calling it censorship and saying they were glad Jimmy Kimmel was back.

Someone watching from New Orleans mentioned the show wasn’t broadcast there. They and others contacted the station to formally complain about it.

Find out if ABC has canceled *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?* and whether the recent controversy is costing Disney money.

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2025-09-24 14:51