“It was never my intention": Jimmy Kimmel tears up while discussing past comments on Charlie Kirk's death in comeback show

Jimmy Kimmel's show returned on September 23 after being suspended last week over his comments regarding Charlie Kirk's alleged killer. On September 17, ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after a backlash over the host's remarks. In his monologue on the September 15 episode, the late-night host allegedly linked Kirk's shooting suspect with the "MAGA gang."

"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 on his show.

However, the network was criticized by many for suspending the show. Eventually, on Monday, Disney announced the reinstatement of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and it returned on Tuesday. In the September 23 episode of the show, Kimmel addressed the suspension and gave an explanation of his remarks that sparked the controversy.

"It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don't think there's 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. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make," Kimmel said.

While speaking about Charlie Kirk with tearful eyes, Jimmy Kimmel said he understood that, for some, his remarks may have felt "ill-timed" or "unclear." The late-night host acknowledged that those who believed he had pointed a finger had reason to be upset and added that, if the situation were reversed, there was a "good chance" he would have "felt the same way."

The host also reminded viewers that he had shared a post on Instagram on the day Charlie Kirk was killed and condemned the killing. He also conveyed his sympathy to the family of the late conservative activist. In his Tuesday monologue, Kimmel said that the killer of Charlie Kirk didn't "represent anyone," calling the shooter a "sick person."

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Jimmy Kimmel took a swipe at President Donald Trump in his show

Brian Allen

@allenanalysis

🚨 Jimmy Kimmel walked back on stage tonight like a man who’d been run through the MAGA meat grinder and lived to tell it. He opened by saying it was never his intention to make light of Charlie Kirk’s murder. Fair. But then he dropped the hammer: the FCC, led by Trump’s

In the same episode, after addressing the controversy around his remarks, Kimmel aimed at Trump. When the show was suspended, President Trump called it "great news." Kimmel played one of the latter's speeches in which he was advocating "free speech."

He immediately played another clip of Donald Trump's recent interview in which the President said that "Kimmel had no talent" and could be replaced by "anyone." Reacting to the clip, the Emmy-winning host said:

"You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried; did his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this."

In a September 17 Truth Social post, the President, while supporting Kimmel’s suspension, also called for other late-night hosts to be canceled.

Acyn

@Acyn

Trump: Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!

Jimmy Kimmel called out the POTUS and urged the public to speak out against it:

"He was somehow able to squeeze Colbert out of CBS. Then he turned his sights on me, and now he's openly rooting for NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers and the hundreds of Americans who work for their shows, who don't make millions of dollars. And I hope that if that happens or if there's even any hint of that happening, you will be 10 times as loud as you were this week."

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Earlier on Tuesday, before the show’s return, President Trump posted on Truth Social expressing his disapproval of its reinstatement. In the post, he also referred to Jimmy Kimmel as "another arm of the DNC."