ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and his show will return Tuesday

Just like that, Jimmy Kimmel's "indefinite" suspension has been lifted. ABC announced Monday that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return to the air Tuesday, in its regular 11:35 p.m. time slot.

"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," ABC's parent company, Walt Disney Company, said in a statement. "It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last few days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was suspended — or "preempted" —  in network argot last Wednesday following brief comments on Monday's edition, in which Kimmel seemed to indicate that Tyler Robinson, the Utah man who allegedly shot and killed Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 during a rally at a college campus in Utah, was allied with supporters of President Donald Trump. Kimmel said "many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk" and that "the MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them."

The backlash was almost immediate and ferocious, with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr calling for Kimmel's cancellation, warning ABC during a podcast that "we can do this the easy way or hard way," adding "these companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." Two major ABC station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, announced they would drop the program.

ABC subsequently announced the "indefinite" suspension, with many jumping to a conclusion that both Kimmel and the show had been canceled — the president included, who wrote on social media that the "cancellation" was "great news for America."

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, Kimmel became an overnight cause célèbre, with the suspension clear evidence that a widespread campaign to silence voices critical of the president had claimed yet another popular late-night host. (In July, Paramount said that CBS' "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" would end its decade-long run next May, citing economic conditions in late-night TV.)

On Thursday, Colbert and fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Jon Stewart all voiced support for Kimmel, as did HBO's John Oliver on his Sunday show. Sirius XM's Howard Stern told his listeners Monday morning that he would be canceling his Disney+ subscription.

Word of the reinstatement came as hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars — including Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep — urged supporters to "fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights" in the wake of Kimmel's suspension. More than 430 movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names to an open letter Monday from the American Civil Liberties Union which said the suspension was "a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation."

Notwithstanding the rebellion in the creative community — vitally important to Disney's interests too — it seemed clear from the outset that the rupture was not permanent, and that Disney hoped for a quick resolution. ABC sources indicated to some news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, that there remained "a path forward" for Kimmel's return. Talks to get Kimmel back on the air began almost immediately, but so did the speculation, much of which found its way into various press accounts — that Kimmel had refused to apologize for his comments, or that ABC had been trying for months to get Kimmel to tone down his nightly anti-Trump monologue (which Kimmel also refused to do, according tor some accounts).

Nevertheless, both sides had strong reasons to want a quick resolution. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" employs a large staff that would have been left unemployed had Kimmel decided to walk. Moreover, Kimmel is one of the most important and recognizable figures at ABC — besides his late-night show, which has been on the air for 22 years, Kimmel hosts the Oscars, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and the network's annual upfront presentation to advertisers. To lose Kimmel now would have been to lose a critical part of the network itself — a loss ABC was not in a position to contemplate. — with AP