Jimmy Kimmel Returned to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' 'Out of Respect for Everyone That Works for Him' After Suspension Drama

Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! less than a week after his controversial suspension, with insiders revealing the swift resolution was made to protect the show’s staff.

Kimmel, 57, decided not to prolong his return to late-night television “out of respect … for everyone that works for him,” a source told a news outlet on Monday, September 22.

“He wanted everyone in his crew not to miss any pay and any more work than they already have missed,” a source explained, adding the beloved TV host wanted “the people he works with [to] have some time to figure out their next steps.”

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! staff was a major factor in the talk show host's decision, as the source said Kimmel allegedly “wanted to leave ABC and expected not to be coming back at all.”

“[Kimmel] might not be leaving ABC now, he will once his contract is up [in 2026] unless they offer him a boatload of money,” the insider claimed.

Kimmel’s show was put on an indefinite hiatus following the September 15 broadcast, where he made comments about Charlie Kirk’s suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, and how the MAGA movement planned to use the murder for political gain.

"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 during the talk show’s opening monologue. “Many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

Two days later, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled from the air on September 17 after pressure from the FCC and Nexstar, the largest broadcast and digital media company in the U.S., which operates dozens of ABC affiliates. In a press release, Nexstar said it, “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

The decision to pull Kimmel’s show caused protest, as more than 400 celebrities, including Martin Short and Tom Hanks, banded together to sign a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, warning of the ramifications on Americans’ right to speak freely.

“We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids. The silencing of Jimmy Kimmel and jawboning of media outlets through lawsuits and threats to their licenses evoke dark memories of the 1950s,” executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Anthony D. Romero, explained in a prepared statement. “We must remember, however, that Senator McCarthy was ultimately disgraced and neutralized once Americans mobilized and stood up to him. We must do the same today because, together, our voices are louder and, together, we will fight to be heard.”

Days later, ABC's parent company, The Walt Disney Company, announced in a statement on Monday, September 22, that the show would be returning.

“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,” the company said in a statement, per Variety. “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.”