Jimmy Kimmel Returns to ABC After Suspension Over Monologue

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel is back on air after ABC lifted his nearly week-long suspension, arriving at the network's Los Angeles studios for the Tuesday taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The 57-year-old comedian was photographed stepping out of a black sedan and escorted inside by security, wearing an unbuttoned white dress shirt and black pants.

ABC and Disney said on Monday that the program would return after discussions over Kimmel's remarks about Charlie Kirk's assassination, which the company described as ill-timed and insensitive. 'Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,' the company said. It added that after thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, the decision was made to return the show on Tuesday.

However, some ABC affiliates, including Sinclair Broadcast Group, said they would not air Kimmel's show unless he apologized and donated to Kirk's family, while discussions with ABC continued about a potential return. The group said the discussions with ABC were ongoing as they evaluated the show's return.

Disney officials emphasized that the suspension was intended to allow for dialogue and to balance free expression with sensitivity during a charged political moment. In the wake of the decision, Kimmel offered his own remarks in a monologue, joking, 'He's at the fourth stage of grief: construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.'

Before the broadcast, Kimmel also used social media to express condolences to Kirk's family, writing, 'Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?'

Support for Kimmel poured in from several A-list celebrities, including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Aniston, who labeled his suspension a 'dark moment for freedom of speech.'

The Tuesday arrival and the network's brief window of return followed Disney's Monday announcement that the show would come back after discussions. Yet the situation underscored ongoing divisions within the broader ABC ecosystem, as some affiliates signaled they would withhold the program pending conditions. The newsroom will watch closely to see how the return plays in local markets and whether any additional concessions are needed as production resumes.