Jimmy Kimmel Offers Emotional Message of Peace as He’s Met With a Standing Ovation

After the media blitz we’ve been witnessing in the last few days, late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel has returned to television. This is after Disney/ABC executives decided to pull Kimmel from the air after the comedian commented on the death of Charlie Kirk during his show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The immediate response, both from audience and industry figures, was mostly negative, with many accusing Disney of teaming up with the far-right and President Donald Trump. Talks took place, agreements were discussed, and now the late night host has returned with an emotional and peaceful message.

“I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours, me or the CEO of Tylenol,” Kimmel joked when opening his monologue after a standing ovation and spirited round of applause. The host sharply addressed those who have criticized him in the past, and thanked them for standing up for his right to say things they don’t agree with:

“Maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway. People I never would have imagined, like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul. Even my old pal Ted Cruz, who, believe it or not, said something very beautiful on my behalf.”

Days ago, after political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event in Utah, Kimmel joined hundreds of others expressing his outrage at the murder, and offered condolences to Kirk’s family on social media. Nevertheless, during a broadcast of the late night show, he said, “We had 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 with everything they can to score political points from it.” It was this part of his speech that was reportedly deemed unacceptable, and caused him to be temporarily canceled. Upon returning to his show, Kimmel said the following:

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it. And I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions. It was a deeply disturbed individual.

“That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but to some, that felt ill-timed or unclear or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I would have felt the same way. I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone; this was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t.”

Jimmy Kimmel’s Temporary Cancellation Sets a Frightening Precedent

Whether you think Kimmel’s comments were insensitive, badly timed, or simply snarky, the problem with his cancellation is that it could potentially set a frightening precedent. One that directly hits one of the basic principles of freedom of speech, and reflects a troubling pattern in modern media. Kimmel said the following during his monologue:

“[Freedom of speech is] something I’m embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen [Colbert] off the air and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live in to take my show off the air. That’s not legal, that’s not American. That is un-American. And it’s so dangerous.”