Comedian-host Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to his late-night show starting Tuesday following its indefinite suspension by ABC and Disney, according to US media reports.
“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,” Disney representatives said in a statement.
“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,” the company added.
Kimmel, the veteran late-night comic, made several comments about the reaction to Charlie Kirk's assassination on his show Monday and Tuesday nights last week. He said that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk” — a statement that led to Disney benching his programme after two major station owners, Nexstar Media and Sinclair, said they would pre-empt the show.
However, after Kimmel was taken off the air, Disney faced protest from the creative community. As per a report by Variety, 400 celebrities — including people like Martin Short and Tom Hanks, who have created memorable characters for Disney in the recent past — came out in support of Kimmel and criticised the suppression of free speech in the country.
Following the announcement of Kimmel’s return, fellow late-night comic Stephen Colbert expressed joy on his show. “Well, just a few hours before we taped this broadcast, we got word that our long national late-nightmare is over, because Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live will return to air on ABC tomorrow, Tuesday night. Come on! Wonderful news for my dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff,” he said on the latest edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Colbert didn’t leave an opportunity to make light of the situation either. “I'm so happy for them, plus, now that Jimmy's not being canceled, I get to enjoy this again,” the CBS late-night host added.
“Once more, I am the only martyr in late nights. Wait, unless, CBS, you want to announce anything?” he quipped. Both Kimmel and Colbert have consistently been critical of Trump and many of his policies on their shows.
CBS said this past summer that it was cancelling Colbert's show at the end of this season for financial reasons, although some critics have wondered if his stance on Trump played a role.