Jimmy Kimmel Live Returns Amid Controversy, ABC Station Preemptions

Jimmy Kimmel’s late‑night show Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to ABC after a nearly week‑long suspension that followed backlash to his comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. Kimmel broke his silence on social media hours before the comeback, posting an Instagram photo of himself with the late TV legend Norman Lear captioned “Missing this guy today.” Disney/ABC said the show was pulled because some comments were “ill‑timed and thus insensitive,” a move spurred in part by major affiliates Sinclair and Nexstar preempting the program and which some stations say they will continue. The suspension ignited a broader free‑speech fight and industry backlash, including an open letter from hundreds of Hollywood figures condemning the decision and calls to boycott ABC/Disney. By invoking Lear—creator of All in the Family and The Jeffersons, a longtime liberal activist, FCC critic and on Nixon’s “enemies list,” and a past Kimmel collaborator—Kimmel’s post underscored themes of dissent, censorship and the role of television in political debate.