Everything Jimmy Kimmel Has Said About Being Taken Off the Air and His Return

Jimmy Kimmel made his late-night return on September 23, 2025, after serving a weeklong suspension that sparked a public debate on free speech.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host was pulled off the air “indefinitely” by ABC on September 17 for comments he made about the suspect in the shooting death of conservative political pundit Charlie Kirk. ABC made the controversial decision to bench the comedian because TV station operators Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group refused to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their local affiliates.

Hollywood rallied around Kimmel, with over 400 entertainers — including Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Meryl Streep and Selena Gomez — signing an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) demanding the host be reinstated. ABC relent