Once again, I’d like to remind everyone of the comment/joke which got Jimmy Kimmel suspended last week. Kimmel said, in his opening segment: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” THAT is what upset MAGAland, that is what caused Donald Trump’s FCC commissioner to openly threaten Disney/ABC, that is what caused ABC affiliates to demand Kimmel apologize and donate money to Charlie Kirk’s ultra-right-wing political action group. What happened after Kimmel said that: Disney suspended Kimmel indefinitely, and an organic boycott of all Disney-owned properties and subscription services followed. The ACLU got involved, Kimmel’s lawyers got involved, some of the unions got involved, and Disney-affiliated artists got involved. Well, it worked! Disney is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel Live today.

Jimmy Kimmel will have more to say on late-night TV. Disney and ABC will bring the comedian back to its schedule starting Tuesday night. “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. “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.”

Disney’s decision to bench one of its signature personalities came after two major station owners, Nexstar Media and Sinclair, said they would pre-empt his program following a Kimmel monologue last Monday during which he offered remarks tied to the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Those announcements came after Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr appeared to suggest to broadcasters they ought to work to curb Kimmel and force ABC to remove him from its schedule.

And yet, after Kimmel was taken off the air, Disney faced protest from the creative community. On Monday, 400 celebrities — including people like Martin Short and Tom Hanks, who have created memorable characters for Disney in the recent past — signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union decrying the blow the maneuver delivered to free speech in America. First Amendment advocates from both sides of the political aisle have decried the situation in recent days.

The decision to bring Kimmel back was approved by Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, and Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, according to a person familiar with the matter. The executives acted based on what was best for the company, this person said, and not on external factors. Indeed, it remains unclear if all ABC affiliates will air Kimmel’s program. Spokespersons for Nexstar and Sinclair could not be reached for immediate comment.

It is not clear if Kimmel will offer an apology for his remarks, but whatever he and Disney executives agreed to have him do will be seen Tuesday night. In the past, late-night hosts have had to tender apologies for remarks that offended, with David Letterman, Bill Maher and Samantha Bee among those who had to express regret for jokes or one-liners that caused more outrage than laughter.

[From Variety]

Since Kimmel’s suspension, the trade papers have consistently reported, via Kimmel-sources, that Kimmel refuses to apologize for his remarks or jokes. He felt strongly that he and Disney should not look like they’re capitulating to Trump and MAGA’s authoritarian idiots. This was the correct posture from Kimmel and it was fascinating to watch him maneuver through this moment. I strongly suspect that when all is said and done here, Kimmel will come out of this as a Hollywood hero, and a vanguard of free speech and comedic license. It will depend on what he says when he comes back though. If Disney is making him apologize, then… yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Watch this space.

Additionally, while ABC cut a deal to bring Kimmel back, no deal was made with Sinclair, one of the biggest ABC affiliates. Sinclair will not carry Jimmy Kimmel Live on their affiliate stations for now. This reads like Sinclair is waiting to see if there’s any pushback on them for being such unhinged right-wing lunatics.

Photos courtesy of ABC, Avalon Red.