Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday after his brief suspension, and he wasted no time turning his comeback into a self-righteous sermon about free speech, censorship, and — of course — Donald Trump.

Kimmel opened his monologue with "jokes" that fell flat, like claiming that comedians from Germany offered him a job. “This country has become so authoritarian, the Germans are like, ‘Come here. Cut loose,'” he quipped. The real focus of his monologue was trying to frame his suspension as a political hit job orchestrated by the Trump administration.

When Kimmel addressed the controversy that got him suspended — you know, when he lied about Charlie Kirk’s killer being a MAGA supporter — he grew serious and even appeared to get emotional. He disavowed the idea that he had joked about a murder and explained that he was much too fine a person to do any such thing. And he took pains to disconnect the assassination from any political ideology:

But I do wanna make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human, and that is, uh, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. Uh, I don’t, I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.

Of course, this was a deflection from the lie that got him in trouble. No one had accused him of making light of the murder or suggesting it was funny.

I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it, and I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.

You can see what Kimmel is doing here. He’s not only trying to absolve himself of pushing the lie that Tyler Robinson was a MAGA supporter, but he's also conveniently taking the position that Robinson was just “disturbed” and not a radicalized leftist.

That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both. And for those who think I did, uh, point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way.

Keep in mind that Kimmel’s original monologue wasn't off the cuff. It was pre-written. So when he said what he said about Robinson, he didn’t misspeak; he meant every pre-approved word of it.

I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t.

So, he didn’t admit that he was wrong. Rather, he insisted that his words were merely misinterpreted. No mea culpa at all. He also wouldn’t admit that Robinson was a radicalized leftist, just a sick person with no apparent political motivation at all.

Kimmel’s performance showed America exactly what the media elites do best — spin, deflect, and rewrite history while playing the victim. 

Kimmel’s “comeback” was just a carefully scripted sermon full of excuses and spin, refusing to admit the truth about the shooter’s radical leftist beliefs. PJ Media will always expose the stories the mainstream media buries. Support fearless conservative journalism — join PJ Media VIP today, use promo code FIGHT for 60% off, and get exclusive content and ad-free browsing.