Jimmy Kimmel was welcomed back to late-night television with a long standing ovation and a roaring crowd chanting his name.
After a 6-day suspension, the 57-year-old comedian returned without an apology but cried as he addressed his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Naysayers were skeptical about his emotional monologue, with one commenting: “So disingenuous. No apology. He lied. Crocodile tears.”
Jimmy Kimmel was welcomed back to late-night television with a long standing ovation and a roaring crowd chanting his name
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! show was yanked off the air on September 17 after the comedian made statements about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk inside a Utah college campus.
After being sidelined for about a week, Jimmy returned on Tuesday, September 23, with a much-anticipated monologue that saw him praise Charlie’s widow Erika Kirk for forgiving the accused sniper.
“If you like me, you like me; if you don’t, you don’t,” the comedian said in his highly anticipated monologue
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
“I’ve been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight, and the truth is, I don’t think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference,” Jimmy said. “If you like me, you like me; if you don’t, you don’t. I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind.”
The talk show host then addressed his comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination that sparked the firestorm last week.
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed sending love to his family and asking for compassion—and I meant it. And I still do,“ he said through tears.
“Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions. It was a deeply disturbed individual,” he continued. “That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but to some, that felt ill-timed or unclear or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset.”
“If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I would have felt the same way,” he added.
Some accused the talk show host of shedding “crocodile tears” during his emotional monologue
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
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He then said he has friends and family members that he disagrees with on political issues but still loves and remains close with.
“I don’t think the murd**** who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t. It isn’t ever,” he went on to say.
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
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Jimmy touched upon Erika Kirk’s message about forgiving the accused sniper during her memorial service speech.
“Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him,” Jimmy said during Tuesday’s monologue.
“That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was,” he went on to say.
He called the “forgiveness from a grieving widow” a “selfless act of grace.”
“It touched me deeply,” he said. “I hope it touches many, and if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that and not this.”
Robert De Niro made a suprise cameo during the show, playing a fictional new FCC chairperson
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
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The Tuesday episode featured a surprise cameo from Robert De Niro, who played a fictional new FCC (Federal Communications Commission) chairperson in a sketch.
The current FCC chairperson Brendan Carr was one of the first to call for the show’s boycott last week.
In the sketch, Jimmy made a phone call expecting to speak to the FCC chairperson, but he instead found Robert De Niro on the line.
When the comedian said it felt like the FCC was using mob tactics to suppress free speech, the Oscar winner replied, “What the f*** did you just say to me?”
Jimmy then reminded Robert that he would face an FCC fine if he used curse words on broadcast television.
“I am the f****** FCC, I can say whatever the f*** I want,” Robert quipped.
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Although Disney-owned ABC has lifted the suspension on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, local TV stations affiliated to Nexstar and Sinclair said they would continue to boycott it.
“We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” Nextstar said in a Tuesday statement.
“We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” the statement added.
Sinclair also released a statement this week and said, “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
“I’m so happy he’s back.. He did an amazing job tonight,” one fan said
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube
Netizens had mixed reactions to Jimmy’s monologue, with one saying he has “nothing to apologize for.”
“Making sure there are NO TVs in my household that will be tuned in,” one commented online.
Another wrote, “Jimmy Kimmel deserves a Nobel Prize.
“It’s a great night for free speech,” read one comment online
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