Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will return to television on Tuesday evening after being suspended for comments made about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Walt Disney Company announced on Monday.
Hours after the high-profile memorial for Kirk, the company that owns ABC explained that they chose to remove Kimmel indefinitely to “avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.”
“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” Disney said in a statement.
Sinclair Broadcast Group said Monday it will continue not to air Kimmel’s show on its ABC-affiliated stations. It’s unclear whether Nexstar Media Group will allow the late-night show to return to its ABC-affiliated stations.
Officials, conservative groups, and lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, had condemned Kimmel for mischaracterizing the suspected assassin who killed Kirk as “MAGA” on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! Authorities say the suspected shooter did not agree with Kirk’s ideology.
ABC decided to “indefinitely” remove Kimmel after FCC chair Brendan Carr pressured the network.
But the fallout of ABC’s decision has led to protests and concerns from entertainers and lawmakers about the government infringing on free speech.
Disney said after having “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel, they are choosing to return the show.
Read More
Key points
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return on Tuesday
- Donald Trump’s ‘I hate my opponents’ remark draws sharp criticism
- White House attacks Democrats who did not sign Kirk resolution
- Erika Kirk says she forgives her husband's killer as she pays emotional tribute
- Trump will sign executive order designating Antifa terrorist organization
What to know about Jimmy Kimmel's return
00:45
,
Rachel Dobkin
- Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show will return to ABC on Tuesday.
- Disney, ABC’s parent company, said it decided to suspend Kimmel's show last Wednesday “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.”
- Sinclair Broadcast Group said it would continue not to air Kimmel’s show on its ABC-affiliated stations following Disney’s announcement.
- Kimmel had made comments in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting, suggesting his suspected assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was “MAGA.”
- Officials say Robinson was radicalized online and subscribed to a “leftist” ideology.
- Kimmel’s suspension was met with celebration by MAGA figures, including President Donald Trump, and criticism by others who saw it as a violation of free speech protections.
- By Monday afternoon, more than 400 celebrities, including actresses Jennifer Aniston and Meryl Streep, signed an open letter denouncing ABC’s decision to pull Kimmel off the air.
- It’s unclear how Kimmel will address the recent controversy when he returns to late night TV.
People heading for exits as Trump speaks, reports say
Monday 22 September 2025 00:01
,
Oliver O'Connell
As President Donald Trump continues speaking, delivering by far the longest speech of the day, hundreds of people are leaving State Farm Stadium, according to reports by both CNN and The New York Times.
Many have been on-site since well before dawn in order to get inside and are now likely wanting to get ahead of the likely gridlocked traffic in the area at the conclusion of the event.
Watch: Trump talks tariffs at Kirk memorial service
Monday 22 September 2025 00:04
,
Oliver O'Connell
Trump: Tariffs are making us rich again. Richer than anybody ever thought was possible. And the only one challenging them are people that hate our country or foreign countries that are paying a price pic.twitter.com/HeKwFGKTXx
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 21, 2025
Trump: 'The bullet was aimed at every one of us'
Monday 22 September 2025 00:11
,
Oliver O'Connell
Charlie's murder was not just an attack on one man or one movement. It was an attack on our entire nation,” says President Donald Trump. “That was a horrible attack on the United States of America. It was an assault on our most sacred liberties and God given rights. The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us. That bullet was aimed at every one of us.
President Donald Trump speaking at Charlie Kirk's memorial
Trump joined on stage by Erika Kirk as he concludes remarks
Monday 22 September 2025 00:21
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump was joined on stage by Erika Kirk as he concluded his remarks, paying tribute to her late husband.
During his speech, the president ssaid he would award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
.@POTUS: It’s rare that such a thing happens, but Charlie is bigger today than he was just two weeks ago... That is why I will soon award Charlie the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And we will do the ceremony at our beautiful White House. pic.twitter.com/bvtpMUO4E0
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 21, 2025
Watch: Charlie Kirk tribute video captures last moments at Utah Valley University
Monday 22 September 2025 00:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
'For Charlie': Musk tweets picture of him and Trump
Monday 22 September 2025 00:43
,
Oliver O'Connell
For Charlie pic.twitter.com/8092jIt319
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2025
Full story: ‘Charlie’s angry with me right now’: Trump says he ‘hates opponents’ moments after emotional Erika Kirk ‘forgives’ husband’s killer
Monday 22 September 2025 00:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump said that he “hates” his political opponents moments after Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, forgave her husband’s killer in an emotional tribute at his memorial.
Trump was the headline speaker Sunday at Kirk’s public memorial service at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and immediately followed Erika Kirk’s powerful speech.
Trump apologized to Kirk and his widow for “disagreeing” with them when it comes to dealing with political foes.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Watch: Trump and Erika Kirk embrace at conclusion of Charlie Kirk memorial service
01:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Pres. Trump and Erika Kirk embrace at conclusion of Charlie Kirk memorial service in Arizona ... pic.twitter.com/quIqzUszRD
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) September 21, 2025
CNN pundit Van Jones says Charlie Kirk sent him unexpected final message
01:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
CNN analyst Van Jones revealed Saturday that the day before Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an outdoor college debate event, the conservative activist had messaged him inviting him onto his show.
The liberal pundit believes Kirk’s final text to him offers a powerful message about debating and managing political disagreements.
Read on...
Commenting on political climate in US, Angelina Jolie says she doesn’t ‘recognize’ her country
02:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Angelina Jolie has commented on the United States’ political climate.
On Sunday, the Maria actor, 50, attended the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain for the premiere of her latest movie, Couture, when she was asked, “What do you fear as an artist and an American?”
After a brief pause, she admitted it was “a very difficult question.”
Brittany Miller reports.
Report: Feds have found no links between Kirk assassination suspect and left-wing groups
02:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Federal investigators have found no evidence linking Tyler Robinson , who is accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to left-wing groups, despite claims from former President Donald Trump and his administration , three sources tell NBC News.
The trio of insiders is reportedly familiar with the probe into the case, which, as of now, appears to revolve around Robinson, 22, acting alone.
Erin Keller reports.
Watch: Erika Kirk reveal supportive words from Usha Vance
03:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Trump orders attorney general to prosecute his political enemies straight away
03:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Ahead of his speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, in which he said, unlike the late conservative activist, that he hates his opponents, President Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his political enemies straight away.
John Bowden reports.
Split emerges among GOP senators on Trump’s targeting of media
04:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Republicans on Capitol Hill are not entirely comfortable with Donald Trump’s efforts to suppress dissenting views on the mainstream broadcast and cable channels, and a divide is emerging in the party over the efforts by the administration to pressure ABC into suspending Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely last week.
On Sunday, two recurring critics of the president within his own party were on the Sunday talk circuit reacting to Kimmel’s suspension. The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host was pulled from the airwaves last week after making comments about the shooting death of Charlie Kirk on his show and accusing Republicans of exploiting the moment for recriminations against the left.
John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.
Watch: Trump and Musk reunited at Charlie Kirk memorial
04:59
,
Oliver O'Connell
Trump’s ‘I hate my opponents’ remark draws sharp criticism
05:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Donald Trump’s speech on Sunday at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, where he said that he hates his opponents, drew sharp reactions on social media from Democrats.
One social media user wrote: “How is this supposed to unite the American people?”Another wrote: “In the most basic sense of the word, Trump is not a Christian. Jesus said to love your neighbor, to love your enemies, to shelter the stranger and forgive those who wrong you. Trump does none of those things. Literally, none of them.”
Trump: That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 21, 2025
Nothing but a hateful loser.
pic.twitter.com/dwVBWEA2TI
Another wrote: “No president in our history has ever uttered such divisive and foul words. Yet democrats are being harangued for divisive rhetoric?”
The Republicans Against Trump handle on X called Trump “Nothing but a hateful loser.”
Erika Kirk vows to carry on late husband’s work
06:00
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
The wife of Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, vowed on Sunday to carry on the conservative activist’s work.
During the memorial, she said: “I love you Charlie, baby. And I will make you proud.”
Last week, she was made the CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization her husband founded.
“The world needs Turning Point USA. It needs a group that will point young people away from the path of misery and sin. It needs something that will lead people away from hell in this world and in the next. It needs young people pointed in the direction of truth and beauty.
“And so I promise you today, every part of our work will become greater,” Kirk said.
Trump and Musk reunited at Charlie Kirk memorial
06:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk were reunited at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona following their bitter split a few months ago.
The men were seen on camera shaking hands Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale during speeches remembering the Turning Point USA founder.
Rhian Lubin has the story.
Full report: Erika Kirk heart-wrenchingly ‘forgives’ Charlie’s killer before Trump declares ‘hate’ for foes in politics-laden eulogy
07:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump said that he “hates” his political opponents moments after Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, forgave her husband’s killer in an emotional tribute at his memorial.
Trump was the headline speaker Sunday at Kirk’s public memorial service at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and immediately followed Erika Kirk’s powerful speech.
Trump apologized to Kirk and his widow for “disagreeing” with them when it comes to dealing with political foes.
Rhian Lubin reports from New York.
Watch: Donald Trump Jr does impression of his father
07:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
In an unexpected moment (for a memorial service), Donald Trump Jr. did an impression of his father, to much laughter from the crowd and a smile and a wave from the president.
Trump: 'The bullet was aimed at every one of us'
08:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Charlie's murder was not just an attack on one man or one movement. It was an attack on our entire nation,” says President Donald Trump. “That was a horrible attack on the United States of America. It was an assault on our most sacred liberties and God given rights. The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us. That bullet was aimed at every one of us.
President Donald Trump speaking at Charlie Kirk's memorial
In Photos: Charlie Kirk memorial service
08:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Asked about fate of killer, Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika says she does not ‘want that man’s blood on my ledger’
09:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Charlie Kirk’s widow has said she wants to let the government decide whether her husband’s accused killer will receive the death penalty, saying she does not want his blood on her “ledger.”
Tyler Robinson was formally charged with aggravated murder last week after Kirk, 31, was assassinated on Sept. 10 on the college campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the formal charges against 22-year-old Robinson at a press conference last Tuesday and said he would be seeking the death penalty in the case.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Kash Patel reveals FBI is investigating ‘hand gestures’ of people standing near Charlie Kirk before shooting
09:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
FBI Director Kash Patel issued a lengthy statement about the agency’s investigation into the murder of Charlie Kirk on Sunday where he indicated that a man seen standing near Kirk making “hand gestures” was being looked into.
Patel wrote on X that the agency was “meticulously investigating theories and questions”, including whether the suspect in the shooting, Tyler Robinson, had an accomplice.
John Bowden has the latest on the investigation.
Steve Bannon: ‘Teachers are terrorists’
10:10
,
Joe Sommerlad
Discussing Charlie Kirk with his Real America’s Voice co-host Gina Loudon during the network’s broadcast of the service yesterday, the former White House adviser to Trump and Breitbart editor showed little interest in lowering the temperature.
When Loudon put it to Bannon that Kirk had been an advocate for unfashionable or unpopular social values like young marriage and large families, he responded: “Well, I actually think they are popular but it’s not the way those kids – look, from kindergarten all the way up, they are essentially, you know, a third of the teachers are terrorists that are trying to form them.”
Loudon had no problem with that statement and Bannon, 71, continued to argue that young conservatives shared Kirk’s positions even though “the way they’re formed” is “radical.”
He said: “Particularly young men who have been told, ‘You’re bad, you’re everything evil, you’ve gotta change, we have to change you, we have to give you drugs’ – that’s what I think underneath about the family, about marrying early, about having lots of kids, and about being a good dad, I think that that is right below the surface.”
The MAGA influencer has previously reacted to Kirk’s assassination by calling him “a casualty of war.”
Roger Stone says Kirk would have made 'a great president'
10:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Also paying tribute over the weekend was the Machiavellian Republican fixer Roger Stone, who told Newsmax on Saturday that the deceased was “enormously talented” and could have gone all the way to the White House had he lived.
Here’s what he had to say:
“I really didn’t know Charlie Kirk until the FBI raided my home at 6 in the morning … Charlie reached out to me. We didn’t know each other, and he said, ‘This is outrageous. You’re being framed. There is no Russian collusion.’ We both know it. And he became both a public, but probably more importantly, a private advocate for clemency.
“He’s the only reason I'm able to be with you today. I came to love the man. He was enormously talented. He also confided in me. I think I’m free to say now that he did have political aspirations, that he was thinking about a potential future race for governor of Arizona. And yes, someday, I think he aspired to be president.
“I think he had the faith and the principles, and the discipline and the drive; he could have been a great presidential candidate, could have someday been a great president.
“I’m still in shock about this, but I also am concerned that some on our own side will take the wrong conclusions. Look, I was censored in 2017. I had almost a million followers on what was then Twitter, and then out of the blue without explanation, I was banned. Then I was banned on Facebook, then I was banned on Instagram, then I was banned on YouTube. What was my sin? Supporting Donald Trump and questioning whether the Russian collusion hoax was a fraud.
“Charlie Kirk himself said it. There is no such thing as hate speech. In fact, the First Amendment is specifically designed to protect the most repugnant, disgusting, offensive speech. That’s the American system, free speech that we have, that we revere. And therefore, those who say, oh, the left censored us. So now that we're in power, we should censor them. Charlie would not have agreed. He would not have approved.”
Kyle Rittenhouse took week off work to grieve Kirk
11:10
,
Joe Sommerlad
The man acquitted of shooting three Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the pandemic, two of whom died – an act he argued had been carried out in self-defense and which made him a conservative cause celebre – has told Fox News Digital of his pain over Kirk’s murder.
“When Charlie was assassinated, I was on my lunch break at work. I just got home to let my dog out. And I went on X, and the first video I saw was my friend being murdered,” Rittenhouse, now 22, told Fox.
“I took the rest of the day off work. I took the rest of the week off of work because Charlie meant a lot to me.”
Trump to link Tylenol use in pregnant women to autism as president promises ‘amazing’ announcement
11:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president briefly tailed off from his tribute to Kirk yesterday to trail his next public speaking engagement: an announcement at the White House today at which he is expected to claim a link between Tylenol consumption during pregnancy and autism, an idea broadly rejected by medical experts.
Here’s a preview.
Watch: Erika Kirk says she forgives her husband's killer
12:10
,
Joe Sommerlad
This was the moment the Turning Point USA founder’s widow cited the Bible to explain her decision to “forgive” Kirk’s assassin.
Premium: In Magaworld Charlie Kirk was a moderate – those vying for his crown could be different
12:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Equal parts preacher and salesman, the right-wing activist had an instinct for connecting with and mobilising the youth vote for Trump.
But he was also seen as someone who thrived in a modern right-wing economy where conflict is a valuable currency and who comes next could change everything, writes Alex Hannaford.
University where Kirk was killed starts to reshape its shattered identity
13:10
,
Joe Sommerlad
The students and faculty of Utah Valley University continue to reel from the shocking events of September 10.
Here’s a report on how the academic community is coping.
Watch: Hegseth reflects on Kirk’s military aspirations
13:40
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s the secretary of war on the activist’s teenage years, when he dreamt of enrolling at West Point.