Jimmy Kimmel Returns to Late Night Amid Criticism & Fallout, Faces Trump Criticism and Affiliate Blackouts
Last night, Jimmy Kimmel stepped onto the stage once again for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, marking his return after a nearly week-long suspension. But make no mistake: this is not a full comeback in every market, and the controversies that led to the blackout have not entirely subsided.
The Apology — or Not Quite
In his first on-air monologue since being pulled, Kimmel addressed his comments. He insisted it was never his intention to make light of the murder of Charlie Kirk, and he acknowledged that some viewers found his past remarks “ill-timed or unclear.”
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there was anything funny about it… nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.”
However, critics note that he did not issue a full, unqualified apology for his untimely comments. Instead, Kimmel framed his remarks as a miscommunication rather than the outright lie that it was. Then he went on a tirade, calling what he was doing free speech. He apologized for how his words were perceived, not for the substance of his earlier commentary, which included blatantly and knowingly false statements that were not comedy and not satire.
Not a Free Speech Issue
Critics, including Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, shared that this decision is not a free speech issue; it has to do with the work performance of Kimmel, a Disney employee whose performance was anything but up to par.
“Here is my last point on Kimmel. If Kimmel came on and apologized like this the day after his remarks, he probably wouldn’t have been suspended. But by all accounts, he wanted to double down,” Portnoy wrote on X. “Again, for the billionth time, this isn’t a free speech issue. He works for Mickey Mouse on NETWORK TV. Nobody said he was going to jail. He was dealing with the consequences of making off color jokes about the murder of a guy who meant a ton to a ton of people and blamed it on the very people who love him the most before the body was even cold. So yeah, there was outrage that Mickey had to deal with. Then the pendulum swung the other way and they put him back on air. Either way it was never a free speech issue. When you work for somebody else and you offend a ton of people you deal with the consequences. Him framing this as free speech is a joke.”
Trump’s Reaction: Fire and Threats
President Donald Trump responded swiftly. On Truth Social, he expressed his disbelief in ABC’s decision to reinstate Kimmel.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”
He went on to equate ABC’s bias in broadcasting to “major illegal campaign contribution” to Democrats by keeping Kimmel on the air, and threatened legal action.
In interviews and statements, Trump has long cast late-night hosts like Kimmel as partisan opponents.
Andrew Kolvet, Executive Producer of the Charlie Kirk Show, stated that he believes Kimmel got emotional because he almost lost his career over it, and doubled down, asserting that Kimmel knowingly and intentionally lied to the American people.
“Yes, Jimmy got emotional. So what. He’s emotional for himself because he almost torched his entire career. Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils,” Kolvet wrote. “What he’s really saying is that he still thinks it’s fair game to slander conservatives. He would rather advance his own political and cultural agenda than confront the truth. The truth is that his own side has been fanning the flames of political assassinations for years. The truth is that someone on the left picked up a gun and murdered someone on the right who advocated for peaceful debate. It’s critical that liars admit they lied. There can be no restoration without that. Anything short of that is a fake and scripted cry line designed to endear him to his fans, not to make right the wrong he committed.”
Silent Markets: ABC Affiliates Say No
A notable fraction of ABC’s local affiliates — particularly those owned or controlled by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group — have refused to air Kimmel’s show, even after the suspension was lifted.
- Sinclair has indicated it will continue to run alternate programming (mostly local news) in the Kimmel slot unless ABC/Disney enter formal discussions and Kimmel makes a “direct apology” (and even a donation) to the Kirk family and allies.
- Nexstar likewise announced it would persist in preempting the show, citing concerns about “respectful, constructive dialogue” and local market obligations.
Together, these groups control a significant number of ABC affiliate stations — estimates suggest up to ~25% of ABC’s reach may be affected.
In markets like Seattle, Nashville, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, and parts of Virginia and Washington, viewers may see news programming instead of Kimmel.
From the FCC side, its chair, Brendan Carr has defended the affiliates’ decision-making power, arguing stations should have programming autonomy to reflect community standards.
But critics warn that the refusal to air Kimmel is part of a broader pressure campaign over speech and media control. Some lawmakers—the likes of Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Chris Van Hollen—have launched inquiries into whether political considerations or regulatory leverage influenced Nexstar and Sinclair’s decisions.
The Larger Stakes
The dispute surrounding Kimmel’s suspension is again being debated in the public square.
- Free Speech: Kimmel is free to say what he wants and have his opinions, but lying is an integrity issue, and that’s what Kimmel did and has not apologized for it.
- ABC Affiliates: Free speech is an essential right of every American, but just because you can say it doesn’t mean it won’t have consequences. Now some ABC Affiliates don’t want to be associated with someone like Kimmel.
- Ratings: Late-night TV has seen a major ratings drop over the last ten years. Between 2015 and the second quarter of 2025, Kimmel’s total average viewers fell from 2.4 million to 1.77 million. Then in August 2025 total viewers fell to 1.1 million, a drop of 43% from January of the same year. 18-49 year old viewers dropped to 129,000.
- FCC: Broadcasters have an obligation to broadcast in the public interest to hold a license. Kimmel comments outside of his outright lie was just Otherwise, they can go on YouTube or a podcast and say whatever they want.
In many parts of the country, viewers still won’t see his show, and the demand for a stronger apology persists. Though the show is back in certain parts of the country, a free market should and will determine the fate of the show in the long run.
