Jimmy Kimmel Show to return on American TV

Disney has announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live will return to ABC on Tuesday, September 23, reports Reuters.

Kimmel was suspended from the air due to threats from the head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brandon Carr, for comments he made about the murder of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

Announcing the decision to bring Kimmel back to the air, Disney, ABC's parent company, said it had suspended the show "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."

Disney also said in a statement that it considered some of Kimmel's comments "were ill-timed and thus insensitive." However, the company added that after further discussions with the comedian, "we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

ABC suspended Kimmel's late-night talk show on Wednesday, September 17, after the head of the federal commission in charge, Carr, threatened an investigation and regulatory action against broadcasters who aired Kimmel. The owners of dozens of local channels affiliated with ABC said they would no longer air the show.

On September 19, the head of the Senate Commerce Committee, Republican Ted Cruz, said that Carr's threat was dangerous.

The suspension of Kimmel's show sparked a nationwide debate in the United States about government interference and freedom of speech between supporters of president Donald Trump's administration and Kimmel, who have been openly critical of each other for years, reports СNN TV channel.

Even before Kimmel's return to the TV was announced, on September 22 more than 400 artists, including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston, and Robert De Niro, had already signed an open letter in support of Kimmel. The artists' statement was organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, a non-governmental organization.

• In a statement that got Kimmel pulled off the air, he said that "MAGA [Trump's movement of supporters] followers are desperate to prove that the guy who killed Charlie Kirk is not one of them, and are doing everything they can to reap political dividends."
• On September 21, a memorial ceremony in honor of Kirk was held in Arizona, which gathered tens of thousands of people – including US president Trump and billionaire Musk, which had previously had a public conflict.