Jimmy Kimmel will return to TV Tuesday night — with notable exceptions — after Disney reverses suspension

Jimmy Kimmel will be back on air Tuesday after the Walt Disney Co. reversed a decision to suspend the show over comments the host made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk.

The late-night host was suspended by ABC last week, a move that drew praise from some — including President Donald Trump — and kicked off a firestorm of criticism, with many accusing the network of shutting down political speech.

The Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC, issued a statement Monday saying it had made the decision to suspend production on the show "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."

"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 statement continued.

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It's a 180-degree turn from last week, when ABC said it pulled the long-running show "indefinitely" after facing threats from the head of the Federal Communications Commission.

The backstory

The controversy started last Monday, when Kimmel talked about Kirk's killing in his opening monologue, poking fun at Trump and commenting on the right's response to Kirk's killing.

"We hit 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.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr then went on a podcast and suggested that Kimmel’s comments might warrant regulatory action against ABC.

What's next

Broadcasting giants Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar, which own several local ABC stations, quickly announced they would preempt Kimmel's show in favor of other programming. Soon after, ABC said it was suspending the program.

When ABC's suspension was reversed Monday, Sinclair said it still would not air Kimmel's show.

"Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming," said a company-issued statement posted on X. "Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return."

Sinclair owns nearly 200 stations in 100 markets, including a CBS station in Bakersfield and Fox affiliate in Fresno. It's the second biggest TV operator in the U.S. with more than 30 ABC affiliate stations.

Nexstar, which also has more than 30 ABC stations, did not immediately respond to an inquiry on its plans for the program. In all, there are more than 230 ABC stations in the U.S.

Continuing protests

The suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" led to national outcry, from fellow late-night hosts and politicians. It also made waves in Los Angeles, where entertainment unions expressed concern about free speech and jobs.

Monday morning, some of those unions, local politicians, and supporters gathered in Hollywood to protest ABC's decision to pull Kimmel off the air. Hundreds of actors, musicians and film directors also signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union decrying the move.

"This is not just about Jimmy Kimmel," said U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman, a California Democrat. "This is about a trend that we've seen of this administration threatening news sources and broadcasters that air speech that's critical of Donald Trump."

Later in the day, after Disney's announcement that Kimmel would be back on air this week, Friedman issued another statement.

"Trump’s attempt to silence dissent was never just about one show, it was an unacceptable attack on our free speech and the Constitution," she said. "I will keep standing up to the Trump Administration to make sure this abuse of power never happens again."

Kimmel tapes in a studio on Hollywood Boulevard, across the street from the Dolby Theater. His show has been running since 2003.