ABC announced that it would bring late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show back on Tuesday after a brief suspension.
ABC owner Disney announced in a statement that it would bring Kimmel’s show back after “thoughtful conversations” with the host. It came amid widespread outcry from left-wing figures and outlets over the suspension.
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“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,” Disney said.
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” it added.
Kimmel’s show was pulled on Wednesday after the host’s remarks during a monologue implying, against evidence, that Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a fellow conservative.
“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,” Kimmel said.
The Federal Communications Commission prohibits broadcast licensees from “broadcasting false information concerning a crime or a catastrophe” if the licensee knows the information is false, if it is foreseeable that broadcast of the information will cause substantial public harm, and if the broadcasting of the information does cause substantial public harm.
ABC suspended Kimmel two days after his comments. Though speculation abounded that the cancellation was due to FCC pressure, most reports suggest Kimmel was suspended over an advertiser revolt.
KIMMEL’S ABC CANCELLATION FUELS DEBATE OVER ‘HYPOCRISY OF CANCEL CULTURE’
The late-night host quickly became a metaphorical martyr for Left-wing critics of Trump, who interpreted his suspension as a direct edict from the president. Many called for boycotts of Disney over the matter.
Kimmel’s return could put Disney in an awkward position down the road, as Kimmel has some of the worst ratings of any late-night show. Stephen Colbert, who boasts higher ratings, had his show canceled earlier this year due to low ratings.