Jimmy Kimmel made a return to late-night television following a brief suspension related to comments he made about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During his first show back, Kimmel expressed that it was never his intention to belittle the death of Kirk. He addressed concerns about free speech and criticized the current political climate, stating that threats to free expression are “anti-American.”
Kimmel compared Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to a mob boss and commented on President Donald Trump’s appearance at the United Nations. The episode was not available in every market, particularly due to actions taken by local ABC-affiliated stations resistant to Kimmel’s return.
The episode could be streamed on Hulu, a service owned by Disney, which is also ABC’s parent company. Stations owned by Nexstar and Sinclair decided to continue airing alternative programming instead of Kimmel’s show, a move that Carr supported as empowering local stations to serve their communities. Carr has been vocal in opposing Kimmel’s return, having threatened action against Disney and ABC following Kimmel’s prior comments.
Kimmel acknowledged the forgiveness shown by Erika Kirk towards her husband’s alleged killer at a memorial service and criticized Carr’s shift from a free-speech advocate to someone who called for Kimmel’s suspension. The comedian also addressed Trump’s earlier comments about canceling late-night hosts, suggesting this behavior can be detrimental to artistic expression.
Before his return to television, Kimmel faced backlash due to his remarks about the circumstances surrounding Kirk’s murder, which raised significant concerns from lawmakers and free speech advocates. Disney ultimately decided to reinstate Kimmel’s show after discussions with him, but Nexstar stated it would continue to pre-empt Kimmel’s show until assurances were made for respectful dialogue.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dx6dlelw8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss