Will Jimmy Kimmel Face Restrictions on His Comeback? New Report Delivers the Verdict

Jimmy Kimmel is headed back to his desk on Tuesday after a six-day timeout, and the big question hanging over his return was simple: is ABC going to put a leash on him? Short answer: it does not sound like it.

What set this off

Kimmel was benched after a monologue where he talked about what he framed as the murder of Charlie Kirk. In that segment, he said plenty that set off alarms on the right, including this:

"many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk," and the "MAGA gang" is "desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them."

The episode also ran a clip of Donald Trump swerving off a reporter's question into a tangent about White House construction. Kimmel, never one to pass on a punchline, called it "the fourth stage of grief: construction."

Immediate fallout (and a little inside baseball)

Backlash was fast, and it went beyond social feeds. Two major station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, pulled 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' from their lineups in response. Sinclair is not airing Tuesday's return either, saying:

"Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return."

Nexstar has not issued an updated statement yet. If you are wondering why a network show can vanish in some cities but not others, this is the fun part of American TV: ABC owns the show, but a lot of ABC stations are owned by separate companies, and those companies can make their own calls about what they air.

Hollywood rallied

While the affiliates balked, the industry circled the wagons. The ACLU released a letter blasting the suspension as "a dark moment for freedom of speech," and more than 430 actors, writers, and directors signed on. A sampling of the big names:

• Robert De Niro
• Ben Affleck
• Jennifer Aniston
• Selena Gomez
• Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Tom Hanks
• Meryl Streep

Fans also showed up outside Kimmel's Los Angeles studio during the suspension to back him up.

So, what happens Tuesday?

Disney, which owns ABC, says the show is back on the air. The company summed up the recent behind-the-scenes talks this way: they spent the last several days in 'thoughtful conversations' with Kimmel and decided to put him back on Tuesday. The more telling line came from someone plugged into those negotiations:

"Jimmy will say what Jimmy wants to say."

That tracks with what Iger and Disney Entertainment chair Dana Walden were working on over the weekend with Kimmel's team: get him back, and do not add any new guardrails.

The bottom line

ABC is putting Kimmel back on the air without new restrictions. Sinclair is still sitting out for now, Nexstar is quiet, and the free-speech debate around late night just got even louder. Not exactly a sleepy week in TV land.