Disney says it will reinstate comedian Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday after pulling the late-night host off the air.
The company said in a statement shared with multiple media outlets it took the comedian off the air “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for the country.”
Kimmel had been taken off the air after saying last Monday that conservatives were trying to score “political points” off the assassination of Charlie Kirk and joking that President Trump was mourning his death “like a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
The remarks earned the comedian a sharp rebuke from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chair, who argued the late-night host should be punished by the network.
Kimmel has long been a critic of Trump and his allies, and the president predicted Kimmel could be taken off the air “next” after CBS late night host Stephen Colbert had his show canceled by Paramount earlier this summer.
Kimmel’s suspension sparked outrage from Democrats and first-amendment advocates, many of whom warned the Trump administration was using the power of government to crack down on speech it didn’t like.
Even some Republicans expressed concern that Trump’s FCC had gone too far in trying to intimidate one of the world’s largest providers of news, sports and entertainment programming.
Top names in media, from Howard Stern to John Oliver, urged their audiences to boycott Disney products or unsubscribe from the company’s streaming services, while Democrats on Capitol Hill threatened Congressional investigations into ABC’s suspension of its biggest Hollywood star.
News of Kimmel’s reinstatement came just a day after Kirk’s memorial service, during which friends and allies of the conservative firebrand eulogized him and vowed to carry out his advocacy mission.
Updated: 4:14 p.m. EST
