This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Nicole Silverio
Disney announced on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel’s suspended program is returning to late night television on Tuesday.
Executives at Disney announced on Wednesday that Kimmel’s show would be canceled “indefinitely” following his remarks about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination during a Sept. 15 monologue. The executives confirmed that the program is returning to the airwaves after having “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel.
“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. 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.”
Kimmel sparked backlash after falsely stating in his Sept. 15 monologue that the “MAGA gang” refuses to admit that Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, is politically aligned with them. He also mocked President Donald Trump’s response to Kirk’s passing by comparing him to a child mourning his goldfish.
“We had 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,” Kimmel said during his Sept. 15 monologue. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism. But on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this” … “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody he [Trump] called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairwoman Dana Walden reportedly grew concerned that Kimmel would “fan the flames with the MAGA fan base” after he planned to double down on his comments during his planned monologue for Wednesday. Kimmel reportedly planned to say on-air that conservatives intentionally misinterpreted his words, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Kimmel also reportedly did not plan to apologize and intended to specifically address Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning during his appearance on “The Benny Johnson Show,” where he said that he could pull the licenses of ABC-affiliated networks over inappropriate and insensitive remarks about Kirk’s assassination.
Since Kimmel did not plan on “turn[ing] down the temperature,” Iger and Walden made the decision to suspend his program, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The suspension sparked protests across the U.S., as well as anger from prominent liberals and Democrats. During a Thursday appearance on “CNN News Central,” Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell wore a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” hat and claimed that the suspension should “shake” every American. Others claimed the cancellation was a blatant free speech violation.
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Not bad for a ratings play by the network. Imagine the viewing audience Tuesday.
Won't be me. Fuck that sanctimonious prick.