() The Walt Disney Company announced Monday it will resume production of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday after suspending the late-night talk show last week over what the company called “ill-timed and insensitive” comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Disney halted production Wednesday following remarks made on the ABC program that the company said could have further inflamed tensions during what it described as “an emotional moment for our country.”

“We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation,” Disney said in a statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”

The entertainment giant said it held discussions with Kimmel over the past several days before deciding to bring the show back on air.

“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,” the company said.

STATEMENT ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! FROM THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

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.  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.

Since announcing the suspension, Disney’s stock fell several percentage points, and the company faced subscription cancellations from Disney+ customers. Now, the company risks renewed backlash from those who said they were offended by Kimmel’s remarks about Kirk, who died earlier this month.

Kimmel has not publicly commented on his reinstatement. His return monologue Tuesday will be his first opportunity to address the controversy directly.

Sinclair says it will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel’s show

Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, in a statement 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.”

Last week, Sinclair had said it would not air Kimmel’s show, even if ABC decides to bring it back, unless “appropriate steps” were taken.

ABC pulled ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ over Charlie Kirk comments

ABC’s decision last week came after Nexstar Media, ‘s parent company, announced that its 32 ABC affiliates would indefinitely preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over his comments.

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.  

“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

FCC Chair Brendan Carr on Wednesday had urged local broadcasters to stop airing the show on ABC. Carr said that Kimmel’s suggestion that Kirk’s killer was MAGA-aligned would be “really, really sick” and that ABC, as a broadcast license-holder, needs to keep the public interest in mind.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say?

During his show on Monday night, Kimmel said the country “hit some new lows over the weekend,” when the “MAGA gang desperately tried to characterize this kid who killed Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

The 57-year-old comedian, who has had a late-night show on ABC since 2003, accused Republicans of trying to “score political points” from Kirk’s death.

Kimmel then criticized President Trump after airing video of the president taking a question about Kirk’s death. In the clip, Trump abruptly changes the subject to talk about a planned White House ballroom. Kimmel joked Trump was mourning Charlie Kirk “the way a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

Kirk, a 31-year-old Trump ally, was killed last week during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, as he debated students with different political views. After a 33-hour manhunt, authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson for the attack, which Utah Gov. Spencer Cox characterized as a political assassination.

Robinson was formally charged Tuesday, and state prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty.

President Trump expressed elation at Kimmel’s suspension, writing in a Truth Social post, “Great News for America.”

“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible,” Trump continued, referring to CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert.

Kimmel, who has been hosting the show since 2003, is in the final year of a contract that ends May 2026.

Hollywood defends Jimmy Kimmel, citing free speech

Over 400 celebrities signed an open letter decrying the now-ended suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show and calling for an end to “retaliation” against free speech, writing that it “strike[s] at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.”

David Letterman said the cancellation signals a troubling future for the media landscape. He said he never felt the heat from the FCC during his years spent poking fun at different administrations.

“The institution of the president of the United States ought to be bigger than a guy doing a talk show,” Letterman said.

Letterman said he had been in contact with Kimmel, who is doing “fine.”

Jon Stewart on Thursday addressed Kimmel’s situation with satire in a special appearance outside of his typical Monday hosting duties for “The Daily Show.”

“We have another fun, hilarious administration-compliant show,” a voice-over promised at the start of the show.

“The Daily Show” set was refashioned with decorative gold engravings, in a parody of gold accents Trump has added to the fireplace, doorway arches, walls and other areas of the Oval Office.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon opened “The Tonight Show” with a monologue expressing hope for the return of Kimmel, whom he called “a decent, funny and loving guy.”

“This isn’t right,” actor Ben Stiller said in a social media post.

Comedian Wanda Sykes, who was scheduled to appear on the show on Wednesday, urged support for Kimmel.

“Let’s see. He didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week. But he did end freedom of speech within his first year,” Sykes said. “Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.”

The Writers Guild of America, the American Federation of Musicians and SAG-AFTRA condemned the cancellation as an attack on free speech.