Jimmy Kimmel Goes All-in on Free Speech in His Return to Late Night

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=c1tjh_ZO_tY

TikTok users recently predicted the Rapture would occur today, but the big return everyone witnessed turned out to be Jimmy Kimmel back on his show! After a week off the air, Kimmel returned to *Jimmy Kimmel Live* on September 23rd dressed in a monkey suit, with his sidekick Guillermo in a banana costume. He was greeted with cheers from the audience and quickly broke the tension with a joke about his and the Tylenol CEO’s recent experiences. Kimmel then thanked his fellow late-night hosts and the viewers who spoke out against Disney’s decision, even reminding everyone how to renew their Disney+/Hulu subscriptions. He also addressed the controversy that led to his suspension, clarifying that he never meant to make light of a tragic murder or blame any group for the actions of a disturbed individual, explaining that his original comments were misinterpreted.

Jimmy Kimmel dedicated a significant part of his show to defending the First Amendment, particularly after Stephen Colbert’s show was canceled in July. He expressed feeling ashamed that he hadn’t fully appreciated this freedom until seeing what happened to Colbert and the pressure put on local stations to cancel *his* show as well, which he called illegal, un-American, and dangerous. Kimmel then showed a clip of Donald Trump celebrating the supposed “firing” of *JKL* and claiming low ratings, to which Kimmel quipped, “Well, I do tonight.” He concluded his nearly 20-minute segment by emphasizing that any government attempt to silence a comedian disliked by the president is a threat to American values.

ABC temporarily stopped airing Jimmy Kimmel’s show last Wednesday following pressure from the Federal Communications Commission and ABC’s owners, Nexstar and Sinclair, who refused to broadcast the program. This came after calls for the show to be cancelled. However, Disney announced on September 22nd that *JKL* would return after discussions with Kimmel, who addressed the situation in his monologue. He explained that for nearly 23 years, ABC had allowed him creative freedom, even when his show pushed boundaries. Kimmel said he was upset by the initial suspension and made that clear to network executives. After several conversations where both sides shared their perspectives, ABC decided to bring the show back, a decision Kimmel appreciated, especially considering the political pressure. He pointed out that the President had publicly called for him and his staff to be fired, simply because he didn’t appreciate a joke.

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2025-09-24 08:54