What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk as chat show returns after axe

Late night talk host Jimmy Kimmel will return to air tonight after his show was dramatically pulled following comments he made about the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

The 57-year-old host took to Instagram on Tuesday to post a tribute that many fans saw as a subtle statement on the controversy surrounding his show after being told he'd got the greenlight to return.

'Missing this guy today,' Kimmel wrote alongside a photo of himself with TV producer Norman Lear, who passed away at age 101 in December 2023. Lear, best known for creating groundbreaking sitcoms such as All in the Family and The Jeffersons, was a defender of free speech and the First Amendment. He was also on late president Richard Nixon's 'enemies list' during his time in the White House from 1969 to 1974.

Tuesday night’s guests of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will be actor Glen Powell with musical guest Sarah McLachlan.

ABC chose to suspend Kimmel's long-standing show last week after several affiliated stations refused to air it. The decision was made after objections to comments Kimmel made during shows during his monologue on Monday and Tuesday just days after activist Kirk was shot dead during a talk at Utah university.

The comedian told his audience “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk”.

ABC described the comments as '‘ill-timed and insensitive’ . In a statement the network said they were 'committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve' and pulled Kimmel's show from broadcast.

American right-wing political activist Kirk was shot during an event on a Utah University campus on September 10. Tyler Robinson, 22, is currently in police custody facing seven charges, including aggravated murder and witness tampering. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Robinson, who was wearing a vest designed to stop self-harm when he appeared in court last week, did not enter a plea to any of the charges

READ MORE: Donald Trump responds with glee as Jimmy Kimmel show axed over Charlie Kirk comments

What did Jimmy Kimmel say?

On Monday, Kimmel said Donald Trump's response to Kirk’s death “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend” and compared FBI director Kash Patel’s handling of the case to a kid who had not read a book “BSing his way through an oral report”.

Kimmel said: “The MAGA Gang [is] desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.

“In between the finger pointing, there was grieving," he said.

The following night, Kimmel mocked vice president JD Vance’s decision to guest host Kirk’s podcast.

During his opening monologue for Tuesday night’s show, Kimmel said: “Many in Maga-land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” He accused the US vice-president, JD Vance, of blaming the left for Kirk’s death without evidence.

“While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left,” Vance said while hosting an episode of Kirk’s podcast from the White House.

“And by ‘statistical fact’, he means ‘complete bulls***’,” Kimmel said to applause in his studio. He then told the audience a a study that found far-right groups were the greatest source of domestic terrorism and extremist violence in the US. The Department of Justice has removed the study from its website.

“Here’s a question JD Vance might be able to answer: who wanted to hang the guy who was vice president before you? Was that the liberal left? Or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6?” he said.

The comments drew the ire of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr, who told podcaster Benny Johnson they constituted the “sickest conduct possible” and suggested the FCC could remove affiliate licences if Kimmel was not punished.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the cancellation of shows and firing of commentators “coordinated” and dangerous”.

Trump praised ABC’s move in a post on Truth Social early on Thursday during his visit to the UK, writing: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.

“Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even (Stephen) Colbert, if that’s possible.”

Over the last week many Hollywood stars spoke out to back Kimmel, with actor Ben Stiller saying in a post on X the move “isn’t right”, while actress Sophia Bush said the “First Amendment doesn’t exist in America anymore”.

In July, rival network CBS said it was stopping The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May for financial reasons. Colbert has been a staunch critic of Mr Trump.

Nexstar Communications Group, which operates more than 20 ABC affiliates, announced it would pull the show from Wednesday, calling Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”.

Similar statements were echoed by Sinclair, which operates ABC’s largest number of affiliates.

In a statement posted to X, the company said it would air a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk on Friday and called on Kimmel to issue a direct apology to Kirk’s family.

“Sinclair will not lift the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability,” the statement said.