On Tuesday evening, September 23rd local time, the late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live! (also known as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"), which was previously announced by the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to be suspended indefinitely, returned to the screen after a brief pause.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" returns to ABC on Tuesday night.
In the latest episode of his show, host Kimmel's opening monologue was about his own brief "delisting." "My show itself is not important. What's important is that we live in a country that allows people to have such a show," he said.
On the show on September 15, when talking about the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, he said, "This weekend the MAGA faction (referring to Trump's die-hard fans in the Republican Party) hit a new low. They tried desperately to portray the young man who killed Charlie Kirk as someone outside their camp and did their best to score political points from it." In the eyes of many American people, he was actually implying that the murderer was also a member of MAGA.
For this reason, Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke ABC's license if Disney did not "take action" against the host. Meanwhile, Nexstar and Sinclair, two major US companies operating local television stations, announced they would refuse to air "Chicken Show," leading to Disney CEO Bob Iger's decision to suspend production on the show.
However, a heated debate ensued in American society over this issue. From former President Obama to Hollywood filmmakers and showbiz unions, everyone was furious with ABC and its parent company, Disney. Threats to cancel Disney streaming subscriptions were widespread on social media. Hundreds of people protested offline at ABC headquarters. Disney's stock plummeted 7%. Even within the Republican Party, dissenting voices emerged, with Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul publicly declaring the move inappropriate.
Mark Ruffalo, the "Hulk," posted a message saying that if Disney canceled "Chicken Show," its stock would fall even more.
Last weekend, an open letter signed by over 400 Hollywood filmmakers condemned Disney's decision as a "dark moment." The signatories included Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert De Niro. Losing their support would be devastating for ABC and its parent company, Disney.
Crowds gather to protest ABC's cancellation of "Chicken Feathers."
On September 22, ABC issued a statement saying that the purpose of deciding to suspend "Chicken Feather Show" was to "avoid further escalating tensions at a time of great emotional tension in our country... and we believe that some of the comments on the show were indeed inappropriate and insensitive. Over the past few days, we have had in-depth discussions with Jimmy and ultimately decided to resume the show on Tuesday."
In just six days, the situation reversed again. While supporters of the show celebrated their victory, opponents saw ABC's reneging on its promise as ineffective in disciplining the show. Consequently, Nexstar and Sinclair announced that the ban would remain in place. Even if the show resumed, the dozens of local television stations under their umbrella that carried ABC's signal would not broadcast it. These stations cover over 100 cities across the United States. Previously, Sinclair had stated that it would not allow the show to air unless Jimmy Kimmel apologized to Charlie Kirk's family and donated to his conservative activism organization, Turning Point USA. However, given the two companies' long-term contracts with ABC, it remains unclear whether this move will lead to legal action from the network.
US President Trump was also unwilling to admit defeat. About an hour before "Chicken Girl" returned to the air on Tuesday, he once again lashed out at host Jimmy Kimmel and criticized ABC for allowing the show to resume. "I can't believe ABC, the Fake News Network, brought Jimmy Kimmel back. ABC told the White House his show was canceled! Something must have happened. Logically, he has no audience and has never had any talent to begin with," Trump wrote on social media. "I think we're going to test ABC on this one. Just wait and see. The last time I approached them, they offered me $16 million. This time, it sounds like a lot more lucrative."
The $16 million Trump mentioned likely refers to the defamation case he sued ABC last year, which was ultimately settled out of court. However, the compensation was $15 million, not $16 million, which was the settlement he reached with Paramount Pictures over the defamation case. Perhaps because he had filed so many lawsuits, he confused the amounts of the two settlements.
Kimmel quickly responded to Trump's attack on his show, saying the president of the United States "has been doing everything in his power to cancel my show... and he's made it clear that he wants to see me fired along with the hundreds of people who work here. This is our leader, who can't take a joke and instead cheers on these Americans losing their jobs."
During the show, Kimmel also thanked his peers and the public for their support. Choking back tears, he said, "I understand that some people might feel that my timing was wrong, that my words weren't clear enough, or both. To those who feel that I was indeed making false accusations, I understand why you're angry. If the situation were reversed, I would probably feel the same way."
At the end of the show, Kimmel also mentioned the speech given by Charlie Kirk's widow at his memorial service last weekend. "Erica Kirk said she had forgiven her killer, and that's an example we should all follow. Her actions touched me deeply, and if there's any positive that can come out of this tragedy, I hope it's this."
