Jimmy Kimmel is ending his social media silence.

As the late-night host prepares to return to the air Tuesday night, he posted on Instagram on Sept. 23 for the first time since his show was suspended following controversial comments he made about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's killing.

Kimmel shared a photo of himself with legendary television writer and producer Norman Lear along with the caption, "Missing this guy today."

Lear died in 2023 at age 101. The creator of classic sitcoms like "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" was outspoken about his liberal political beliefs during his life. In the 1970s, he fought the Federal Communications Commission in protest of a policy that TV programming before 9 p.m. should be family-friendly. Lear and others argued the policy was a violation of the First Amendment.

In 1981, Lear founded the progressive advocacy organization People for the American Way "to counter the divisive rhetoric and authoritarian agenda being spread by leaders of the emerging religious right political movement," according to the group.

In a 2016 speech at the International Documentary Association awards, Lear stressed the importance of the First Amendment. President Donald Trump "does not seem to understand, much less cherish, the Constitution," Lear said at the time, according to The Hollywood Reporter, adding that if Trump "in any way threatens" free speech, it's important to "hunker down together and fight."

Prior to Kimmel's post about Lear, his Instagram had been inactive since Sept. 15, the same day he said on his show that "the MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize" Tyler Robinson, the suspect charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, "as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." After facing pressure from the FCC, ABC suspended Kimmel's show on Sept. 17.

The suspension was widely condemned throughout the entertainment industry, with many arguing it was an example of government censorship and a move against the First Amendment rights Lear was so vocal about.

Jimmy Kimmel, Norman Lear worked together on 'Live' specials

Kimmel also worked with Lear to create "Live in Front of a Studio Audience," a series of specials for ABC that recreated classic episodes of TV from shows such as Lear's "The Jeffersons" and "All in the Family."

After Lear's death in 2023, Kimmel delivered an emotional tribute remembering him as an "incredible person," who "taught us so much about so many serious things, always making us laugh while he did it."

Jimmy Kimmel show returns Tuesday after suspension

Kimmel's post marks the first time he's spoken since ABC chose to "indefinitely" suspend his show, but he has not yet commented on the network's decision.

Later on Tuesday, the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" official Instagram account posted a photo of the host smiling beside comedian and late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez with a caption that read "We are back full of love."

Before ABC's move, Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, appeared to threaten the network to take action, saying on Benny Johnson's show, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

Carr later denied that Kimmel's suspension was the result of government interference.

"Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that's happened at the federal government level," Carr said at a forum in New York on Sept. 22.

Kimmel is set to return on Sept. 23 with the first episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" since the suspension. Disney said it "made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation," but decided to bring Kimmel back on the air after "thoughtful conversations with Jimmy."

Many fans took to the comments of Kimmel's Instagram post to send support ahead of his show's return.

"Kill it tonight — feel all the love ," comedian Rosie O'Donnell wrote.

This story has been updated to include additional information.

Contributing: Kelly Lawler, Anthony Robledo, Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Kimmel breaks silence on social media ahead of his show's return

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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