Jimmy Kimmel returned with his late-night television show on September 23 with a monologue, defending free speech and responding directly to President Donald Trump. The comedian had been suspended after comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk, which prompted the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to pressure ABC to take action. Trump celebrated the suspension at the time.

During his return, Kimmel addressed the controversy head-on. He played a clip of Trump claiming he had been “fired” because of low ratings. “Well, I do tonight,” Kimmel shot back, earning cheers from the audience. He continued with humor, saying, “You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly.

See Full Page