"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is returning to TV, less than a week after the Walt Disney Company announced it had pulled Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show off the air due to controversial comments about the death of Charlie Kirk.

"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," Disney said in a Monday, Sept. 22, statement to USA TODAY. "It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

Walt Disney-owned ABC said on Sept. 17, that it would indefinitely stop airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the late-night host's comments about Kirk's killing came under fire from the head of the Federal Communications Commission.

Kimmel has not publicly commented since the show suspension. USA TODAY has reached out to Kimmel's representative and ABC for further comment.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say?

During his Monday, Sept. 15 monologue, Kimmel said comments that included: "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."

Utah prosecutors have since charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. His precise motive remains unclear, and according to court documents, Robinson's mother told police he had "started to lean more to the left" over the past year or so.

Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, had seemingly threatened ABC, Disney and Kimmel over the late-night host's monologue about Kirk during a YouTube episode of commentator Benny Johnson's show on Sept. 17.

"This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said.

Jimmy Kimmel suspension sparks outrage – and celebration

The suspension of Kimmel's late-night show sparked widespread outrage among Kimmel's high-profile friends and supporters, from David Letterman to former President Barack Obama. Free speech advocates expressed mounting concerns over First Amendment rights following the suspension and the July cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (final show scheduled for May 2026).

Critics of Kimmel, including President Trump, who is often lampooned on the show, had celebrated the late-night host's removal from the airwaves.

"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED," Trump wrote on his TruthSocial account on Sept. 18. "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done."

Stephen Colbert, FCC and more react to Jimmy Kimmel's return

Carr's FCC colleague Anna M. Gomez, the commission's lone Democrat and an outspoken critic of Kimmel's suspension, celebrated ABC's decision to bring the host back.

"I am glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation," Gomez said in the statement to CNN, which thanked Americans "from across the ideological spectrum who spoke loudly and courageously against this blatant attempt to silence free speech."

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent Trump critic, thanked "everyone but @BrendanCarrFCC" on his X account. "This is a win for free speech everywhere," Newsom wrote.

Later in the evening on Monday, Colbert celebrated Kimmel's return to late-night TV during his monologue on "The Late Show." He said, "Just a few hours before we taped this broadcast, we got word that our long national late-nightmare is over. Because Disney announced that 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' will return to air Tuesday night."

In reference to the cancellation of his own show, Colbert jokingly added, "Once more, I am the only martyr in late night...wait, unless CBS, you want to announce anything?"

Jimmy Kimmel return date

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is set to return on Tuesday, Sept. 23, according to Disney's statement.

However, in a statement to USA TODAY on Monday, Sept. 22, a Sinclair representative said, "Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting 'Jimmy Kimmel Live! across or ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming."

It's still unclear whether Nexstar will do the same.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Kimmel show returning to air after suspension for Charlie Kirk comments, Disney says

Reporting by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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