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Jimmy Kimmel didn't get a very long vacation.
A little less than a week after he was suspended "indefinitely" by ABC for remarks the late-night TV host made after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Kimmel's suspension was lifted. He returns to ABC Tuesday night.
Here's what happened when Kimmel returned to his show after the brief hiatus.
His first joke was Trump's problems at the NATO meeting today, including the teleprompter not working and the escelator failing. A lot of jokes about what Trump did today. Lots of talk about the Tylenol and autism. Trump said don't take Tylenol, and they played about 40 clips of him saying it. Kimmel then said they'll be back with Glenn Powell.
Robert DeNiro goes into his Casino character as playing the director of the FCC. DeNiro started speaking like a gangster, a little threatening. A little out of order. He said he gentely gentley that he gentley shuts the well, you know, up. He said speech is no longer free, but you can pay to do it. If you want to make certain jokes, you can. He makes a few jokes at Trump's expense. He closed with a joke about Tylonel. He said he'll be watching Kimmel, but maybe not on ABC.
Jimmy Kimmel ran down the list of places he's not on the air, as he continues his monologue after the first break. That's unusual. That was after he showed a clip of Trump saying he is thin skinned.
Jimmy Kimmel said Erika Kirk forgave the man who killed Charlie. She's the example we should follow. He said that's a selfless act of grace and it touched him deeply. Kimmel was crying and said if there's anything we can take from the tragedy it is that.
First thing he said, he's happy to be back. Then he's had a weirder few days than the CEO of Tylenol. He talks about people who reached out, including a guy who fired him. Everyone reached out and it meant a lot. He thanks Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and then named every host you could think of. He said people in Germany reached out and offered him a job. Howard Stern and David Letterman reached out. Man, he hit the Cameo jackpot. He then thanked his viewers. He said for supporting the show and using their voices to get him back on. He said he wanted to thank the people who don't support his show, but share his right to have those beliefs. He named all Republicans who defended him, including Sen. Ted Cruz, who said this was bad for America (if Kimmel was silenced).
Kimmel said it took courage for the Republicans to speak out against Donald Trump. He said we have to stand up. He said what he says doesn't make a difference, he doesn't want to change minds, but it was never his intention to make a joke out of a murder on a young man. He started crying, saying he didn't blame any specific group. That was opposite of the group he meant, and he said he apologizes if people who are upset. He said he has friends on the other side and he doesn't think the guy who killed Charlie Kierk represents his side. Kimmel said he gets a lot of threats because of what he says and he said they're not coming from the people on the right he loves. He said it's not about him and the show isn't important, but we live in a country that allows us to have a show like his. He said he talked with hosts in other countries who say they would be arrested for making those jokes. He said our freedom to speak is what we love most about the U.S. He said what happened with him and Stephen Colbert is unAmerican. He said should the goverment be allowed to monitor what podcasts we can listen to? He then started talking about alleged threats made against him by the FCC and Trump Adminstration.
He continued to bury the FCC. He said Brendan Carr was the worst car endorsed by the GOP since a Tesla with the word Trump written on it.
Kimmel played a clip of Trump saying Kimmel gets no ratings. Kimmel said "I do tonight." He said Trump might release the Epstein finals to distract people from this. He then read the following statement: To reactivate your Disney Plus and Hulu Account, open the app ... He said he did almost 4000 shows and the network allowed him to stretch the boundaries for a late night talk show even when it was uncomfortable. He said he uses their platform, but he didn't agree with their decision to pull him off the air. He said they talked it over and even though they didn't have to, and he's a tiny part of the corporation, they welcomed him back on the air. He said it puts ABC unfairly at risk because of Trump. He said Trump will fire people because he can't take a joke. He said he's openly cheering for NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. Kimmel said we have to speak out against this. He then said Trump is targeting journalists as well. He said "they want to pick and choose what the news is." He said it's nuts we're not paying more attention to it.
Kimmel said he barely paid attention in school, but learned a government threat to silence a comedian he doesn't like is anti-American and we have solidarity on that from people on the middle, left and right and it's one thing we can agree on. He said we need to keep children safe, affordable health care and things most Americans support. He said don't let politicians tell us what they want and we tell them what we want.
The show opens with all of the talk shows talking about Jimmy Kimmel's show. They say it will be one of the most anticipated monologues in years. That it will be. Here we go! Kimmel comes out to a standing ovation, and he looks happy, but not gloating. Grinning as a "Jimmy" chant breaks out. The crowd is going nuts for him and he steps out of the batter's box. This isn't stopping.
Were you watching ABC during Jimmy Kimmel's suspension? Apparently he was. During the final promo before he returns from his brief suspension, Jimmy Kimmel apologized for coming back and interrupting the airing of Celebrity Family Feud. This is one of the most anticipated episodes of late night TV talk in a while. We'll soon find out Jimmy Kimmel's response.
Will Jimmy Kimmel get a standing ovation when he goes live tonight? If he does, it will be the second time today. According to People, Kimmel got a standing ovation from his staff when he arrived for his show tonight.
Kimmel returns from his hiatus in about five minutes.
Posting on his social media site Truth Social, President Donald Trump responded to Jimmy Kimmel's return.
"I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back," he wrote. "The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his “talent” was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. 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. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings."
According to ABC's website, Glen Powell ("Chad Powers") and Sarah McLachlan will be featured on the Sept. 23 show.
What Jimmy Kimmel said about Charlie 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. In between the finger-pointing, there was, uh, grieving on Friday − the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.
Yes, he's at the fourth stage of grief: construction. Demolition, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend; this is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK? And it didn't just happen once. And then we installed the most beautiful chandelier. Responses you wouldn't believe. Who thinks like that, and why are we building a $200 million chandelier in the White House? Is it possible that he's doing it intentionally so he can be bad about that instead of the (Jeffrey) Epstein list? …"
When was Jimmy Kimmel suspended?
Jimmy Kimmel was suspended indefinitely on Sept. 17.
Donald Trump's reaction to Kimmel's suspension
"Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even (Stephen) Colbert, if that's possible," President Donald Trump wrote about the suspension.
Who is on Jimmy Kimmel tonight?
According to ABC's website, Glen Powell ("Chad Powers") and Sarah McLachlan will be featured on the Sept. 23 show.
Can everyone watch Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight?
Not everywhere. If your ABC affiliate is owned by Sinclair or Nexstar, you won't get the show. The stations, which combine for about a quarter of ABC stations, have decided to continue to preempt the show.
Will Jimmy Kimmel apologize for Charlie Kirk comments?
The question everyone has going into tonight's show is what will Kimmel say. It's hard to believe he'll apologize, but we won't know until he says anything. He's yet to say anything publicly regarding the suspension. It will be interesting to hear what he says when he goes live.
When is Jimmy Kimmel Live filmed?
The show is typically filmed at 4:45 p.m. in Los Angeles, which means it will be filmed at 7:45 p.m. Eastern time.
When does Jimmy Kimmel air?
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs at 11:35 p.m. on ABC.