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Jimmy Kimmel found himself the subject of some teasing after disclosing that his mother, Joann Iacono, had been busily preparing meals for him during a week-long break from his show.
Kimmel, 57, was booted off the air last week over his comments about conservative political activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination at age 31.
But the comedian was not without any sustenance during the limbo, with Kimmel revealing his mother had been cooking practically non-stop for him.
On Wednesday’s installment of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, actress Lisa Ann Walter presented Kimmel with a dish of homemade pasta, as he had been ‘out of work for a few days,’ leading him to describe how his mother had been looking after him during this time.
‘My mom was persistently cooking, asking if she could deliver some pasta e fagioli or bake something else,’ he recounted. ‘She even brought cookies decorated with my face to the show last night, he added.’
The revelation sparked some teasing, with one writing on X: ‘Is Kimmel 7 years old? What a jerk.’
Jimmy Kimmel endured a bit of ridicule after revealing his mother Joann Iacono had been ‘relentlessly’ making food for him during his show’s week-long suspension
Kimmel with his parents, James and Joann, in 2013
Another wrote: ‘He’s a crybaby that ran to his mommy after a 3 day suspension. Hope she changed his diaper.’
One posted: ‘it was less than a week, come on now.’
‘Ah, I got a boo-boo, mommy. Make it better lol…’ another wrote in the comments section of a news article about his revelation.
‘Jimmy’s a big boy now. Hard to believe he can’t cope, being he is set for life moneywise,’ one chimed in.
Kimmel’s show was suspended by ABC following comments he made about Kirk’s alleged assassin last week but has since been reinstated.
However, Sinclair and Nexstar stations, which make up about a third of ABC’s affiliates, will not be showing the program.
Kimmel’s comments that sparked the entire controversy saw him say ‘the MAGA gang’ was attempting to portray the suspect in Kirk’s killing ‘as anything other than one of them.’
Kirk was fatally shot as he spoke to a crowd at a university in Utah on September 10. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been accused of murdering the conservative activist and is now facing seven counts, including a capital murder charge, over the killing.
ABC’s parent company, Disney, announced that it had suspended the show to ‘avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotionally charged moment for the country.’
But, after ‘having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy,’ the company announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return to its airwaves on Tuesday.
Kimmel’s parents Joan and James were present for the show’s big return, and an audience member in attendance witnessed Joan shed a few tears.
Kimmel revealed the nurturing gesture during an interview with Lisa Ann Walter on Wednesday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, after she brought a plate of homemade pasta for him to eat as he had been ‘out of work for a few days’
Kimmel endured some teasing online after he revealed his mother had been cooking for him during the suspension
Kimmel’s mother Joan Iacono (pictured far R beside her husband James Kimmel and Jimmy’s wife Molly McNearney) cooked ‘relentlessly’ for her son during the suspension
‘I saw her wiping her eyes several times,’ audience member Leesa Bates, who sat next to Kimmel’s parents during the show, told People.
Bates said Joan warned her of possible tears ahead of the taping.
‘She said, “If I start to cry, I’m sorry,”‘ she said. ‘And I said, “No, if you start to cry, I’m going to start to cry.” And we did. But it was very sweet. She’s a very nice lady.’
Kimmel’s return to late night following his suspension saw his ratings triple and reach his largest audience in over a decade.
Tuesday’s episode drew 6.26 million viewers to ABC. Typically, Kimmel gets about 1.8 million viewers each night on television. The numbers released by ABC do not include viewership from streaming services.
The network also noted that Kimmel’s emotional, 20-minute monologue has been viewed over 25 million times on social media.
Kimmel fought back tears as he tried to explain his statement on Kirk in his first show back on ABC since he was suspended over his comments about the late TPUSA founder.
On September 10, Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University; seen in May 2025
The host previously insinuated that Kirk’s alleged shooter was a conservative, even though evidence indicates he held far-left ideologies.
‘It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,’ he said, fighting back tears. ‘I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.’
He referenced his post on Instagram sending love to Kirk’s family and said he still does.
He then tried to explain what he said about Kirk but did not directly apologize.
He said it was not ‘my intention to blame any specific group for the actions what – it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual,’ he said.
‘That was really in the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that to some that felt either 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’d have felt the same way.’
Kimmel’s return to late night following his suspension saw his ratings triple and reach his largest audience in over a decade; pictured
Kimmel also praised Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, for forgiving alleged shooter Robinson at her husband’s funeral on Sunday.
‘She forgave him. That is an example we should follow,’ he said to applause.
‘If you believe in the teachings of Jesus, as I do, that’s it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply, I hope it touches many,’ he said, amid more tears.
‘And if there’s anything we can take from this tragedy to carry forward, it can be that and not this,’ he added, referencing the controversy.
He thanked his fellow talk show hosts, fans and even conservatives who defended him.
At the end of the show, he joked: ‘I think we’ll be back tomorrow night, see you then.’
