Comedian and long-running late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel made his triumphant return to TV last night after being suspended “indefinitely” following comments about the shooting of Charlie Kirk and the mocking of Donald Trump in a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! Kimmel took to the stage to a standing ovation and quickly poked fun at the situation, saying, “Anyway… as I was saying before I was interrupted” before taking aim at both Donald Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for trying to “cancel” him.
The hugely controversial decision to suspend both Kimmel and his show came following the comedian’s mocking of Trump and his reaction when asked how was doing following the right-wing activist and podcaster’s death. “I think very good. And by the way, right there you see all the trucks,” Trump said in response, “They just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.”
Taking to the stage after being “canceled” for five days, and with his career in the balance, Kimmel wasted little time in calling out both Trump and Carr for doing everything they could to get rid of him.
“He tried his best to cancel me and instead forced millions to watch the show. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”
The President “Wants to See Me and the Hundreds of People Who Work Here, Fired From Our Jobs”
Kimmel, who has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! for more than two decades, also went to bat for the staff and crew around him, criticizing Trump for wanting to see Americans lose “their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke.” To finish things off, Kimmel reflected on the importance of living in a country ” that allows us to have a show like this.”
“The President made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here, fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke…
This show is not important, what is important is we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
As well as calling out Trump and The White House, Kimmel also offered a message of peace, assuring audiences that “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
While Disney and ABC have now decided to bring Jimmy Kimmel back, the drama is surely far from over, with Donald Trump having already threatened to sue the studio over the decision, saying, “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!… I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do.”
- Release Date
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January 26, 2003
- Network
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ABC
- Writers
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Joel Hodgson, Sal Iacono, Tony Barbieri, Eric Immerman, Jonathan Bines, Rick Rosner, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Jeff Loveness, Josh Halloway, Bess Kalb