Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was “indefinitely” suspended from his show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, by ABC. As he made his return on Tuesday night after nearly a week of this debacle, Kimmel gave a teary-eyed monologue, briefly mentioning Charlie Kirk’s widow, and lashed out at Donald Trump and the FCC Chair.
During the 28-minute segment, Kimmel connected with actor Robert De Niro virtually, who appeared to be the FCC Chairman. The duo spoke about the violation of free speech, on which De Niro commented, “Speech ain’t free no more, we are charging you by the word.” Posing at the FCC, the veteran actor claimed that all words spoken in favour of the US President were “free”. Questioning if he did make a joke on Trump, Kimmel asked, “how much would that cost me?” Taking a dark turn, De Niro responded that it might invite a violent reply.
In the satirical conversation they shared, Robert De Niro overtly warned to “choose the right words”. They ended on the viral Tylenol and autism controversy that came with Trump’s ban. Kimmel then went on to put a humorous spin on Trump’s visit to the UN and when the escalator and teleprompter refused to work during his visit.
Threatening to sue ABC yet again, Donald Trump took to Truth Social earlier today and reiterated his “zero talent” remark on Kimmel. The US President also claimed that the TV host played “99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.” In the post, he added, “Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings,” and boasted his $16 million deal from the last time he “went after them.”
‘It was never my intention to…’
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host told his audience, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” He also thanked Disney for bringing him back on air and admitted that he was “not happy” with their prior decision. The President of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs,” he noted.
“Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke. He was somehow able to squeeze Colbert out of CBS, then he turned his sights on me, and now he’s openly rooting for NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers,” Kimmel added in his monologue. Calling this decision “anti-American”, Kimmel called out the “direct violation” of the First Amendment.
The late-night talk show host also remarked that “he’s [Trump] gunning for our journalists too,” claiming that they were being sued, bullied, and coerced. I never imagined I’d be in a situation like this,” Kimmel explained and pointed out the “silver lining” from the incident. “We found one thing we can agree on, and maybe we’ll even find another one. Maybe we can get a little bit closer together,” the talk show host said. Calling attention to alternative matters, Kimmel suggested that Americans focus on “keeping our children safe from guns, reproductive rights for women, social security, affordable health care, pediatric cancer research.”
Kimmel on Erika Kirk
In the end, Kimmel concluded his opening speech, tearing up for the second time and praised Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika. “On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband,” Kimmel mentioned. Calling it a “selfless act of grace,” Jimmy Kimmel said that it touched him deeply.
Trump’s comments came just an hour before the episode aired, as he condemned ABC’s decision to bring the show back into its lineup. This came six days after Sinclair decided to take him off the air after Kimmel’s “deeply insensitive” remarks about Kirk’s death. He alleged that the accused, Tyler Robinson, was reportedly a part of MAGA and drew a lot of flak for the same.
With the entire Internet speaking out in Sinclair and Nexstar’s defense, MAGA was extremely supportive of this suspension.