Disney announced Monday that it’s bringing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back on the air Tuesday, less than a week after the company said it was suspending ABC’s late night program “indefinitely” following the host’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The decision followed “thoughtful conversations” with the host, whose show was taken down after Kimmel criticized conservatives’ response to Kirk’s shooting death, Disney said, adding that the company believed the timing of the remarks to be “insensitive.”
“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,” the company statement read. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. 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.”
However, Nexstar, the largest television station owner, which owns more than 200 stations throughout the country, will continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” a Tuesday news release from Nexstar reads. “In the meantime, we note that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.”
Sinclair, which owns multiple ABC affiliates and controls what broadcasts on them, released a statement saying it would also continue to preempt Kimmel’s show despite Disney lifting the suspension. It will air news during that time slot instead, but left the door open to Kimmel’s return.
“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said. Earlier, the company demanded that Kimmel “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family.”
Critics slammed Disney and its CEO Bob Iger for suspending the show after Brendan Carr, President Donald Trump’s chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, threatened to punish the company with regulatory action over Kimmel’s comments.
Earlier Monday, more than 400 celebrities, including Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, signed a letter calling the suspension a “dark moment for freedom of speech.” A handful of other celebrities have called on people to cancel their subscriptions to Disney’s platforms or vowed not to work with the company again.
The move was even met with criticism from GOP lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who compared it to kowtowing to threats from a mob boss and said it sets a dangerous precedent.
“Going down this road, there will come a time when a Democrat wins again. They will silence us,” he added. “They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly, and that is dangerous.”
Kimmel has hosted his show on the Disney subsidiary since 2003, making it the second-longest-running show in late night.
He has yet to remark publicly on the suspension.