Jimmy Kimmel Live! hiatus ends after week-long pause following Charlie Kirk political controversy

Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to ABC on Tuesday, following a one-week pause after the host faced criticism over remarks about the assassination of conservative activist late Charlie Kirk. The suspension sparked national debate and drew the attention of regulators.

ABC, under pressure from broadcast partners and regulatory scrutiny, initially decided to pull the show across all affiliated stations. This included those owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, parent of Scripps News.

FCC steps in as local broadcasters withdraw

The controversy escalated quickly. By Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr publicly weighed in, warning of potential regulatory action. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said on The Benny Show.

That same day, major broadcasting groups Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would no longer air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their ABC-affiliated stations. The threat of losing widespread distribution pushed ABC to preempt the show across its network.

Disney explains decision to suspend

In a statement released Monday, the Walt Disney Company explained its decision to pause production. “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,” the company said.

Disney added that it had held “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel in the days following the incident. “After those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” the statement read.

What triggered the backlash

The controversy began during Kimmel’s monologue last Monday, when he criticized what he called the “MAGA gang.” He commented, “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.”

The comments sparked rapid backlash, drawing regulatory scrutiny and leading broadcasters to withdraw the show temporarily. ABC’s week-long suspension was aimed at managing the situation and avoiding further escalation while reviewing the remarks.