Disney Reinstates Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Colbert Quips About Being the ‘Only Martyr’ in Late Night

The Walt Disney Co. said Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to production on Tuesday, ending a brief suspension that began last Wednesday after Kimmel's remarks about the alleged assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk drew criticism. The decision followed two major network affiliates pulling airings of the show, and Kimmel's reported refusal to apologize for the comments.

Disney said it spent the days since the suspension having thoughtful conversations with Kimmel, and after those discussions, the network decided to bring the show back on Tuesday, a Disney spokesperson told Fox News Digital. []

On Monday, Stephen Colbert used the development to rib CBS, joking that with Kimmel back, he himself is now the “only martyr in late-night” as he held the Emmy Award his program recently won. Colbert also referenced the broader late-night shuffle and quipped about CBS’s own finances in the context of a shifting media landscape. Colbert’s late-night tenure is set to end in May 2026, a move CBS described as purely financial and not related to the show’s performance, content, or other matters at Paramount.

The suspension had sparked political and free-speech debates, with liberals arguing that pulling Kimmel from the air was an overreach, while conservatives criticized the remarks about the alleged killer as ill-timed. Disney said that the decision to resume production followed discussions with Kimmel and a reassessment of how the segment was handled during an emotionally charged moment in the country. The company noted that two affiliate owners had pulled airings in the wake of the controversy, contributing to the pause in production.

In the wake of the announcement, Colbert kept up his own brand of late-night satire. He has long used his platform at CBS to skew media, politics, and entertainment industry dynamics, a thread that continued as the Disney decision unfolded. The late-night landscape remains crowded, with various players juggling production costs, ratings pressures, and public expectations in a rapidly evolving media environment. []

The broader background includes ongoing corporate maneuvers that have touched late-night, including Paramount’s long-running merger dynamics involving Skydance. Colbert has often used his platform to comment on industry consolidation, and his comments have fed into a wider conversation about the pressures facing traditional late-night formats as streaming, digital clips, and audience fragmentation reshape how viewers consume humor and commentary. The merger with Skydance, approved on July 24 and completed on Aug. 7, has been a touchpoint for critics who say consolidation influences content strategy and budgets across a broad slate of CBS News and entertainment ventures.

Disney’s decision to bring Kimmel back follows a period of substantial backlash and intense media scrutiny over remarks about the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk. The network emphasized that it engaged in thoughtful conversations with Kimmel and his team before concluding that a return to production was appropriate at this time. The episode lineup for Tuesday’s show was set to proceed as planned, with Kimmel’s team preparing for a new edition after a pause that drew attention from viewers and industry observers alike.

The response from the TV community has been mixed, with some praising Disney for restoring a familiar late-night voice and others urging caution about remarks that can inflame a charged national moment. The episode remains a touchstone for ongoing conversations about satire, responsibility, and the boundaries of political commentary in late-night formats. As Kimmel returns, industry watchers will be watching closely to see how the show navigates the evolving expectations of affiliates, advertisers, and audiences who increasingly consume content across multiple platforms.