The long, chaotic era of late-night TV has finally come to an end — at least for now. Jimmy Kimmel’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! is back on air across the majority of the U.S., though not everywhere. Can we really go back to normal? On Wednesday, one week after his show was first suspended, Kimmel returned to the spotlight — mostly. But here’s where it gets controversial: Trump’s response to Kimmel’s comeback has sparked fierce debate.
Kimmel’s return was met with a standing ovation and a chant of ‘Jimmy! Jimmy! Jimmy!’ reminiscent of The Jerry Springer Show. He opened with jokes about preemption issues and even mocked ABC’s The Golden Bachelor, before diving back into his signature style: ridiculing President Trump. Kimmel is especially good at this, and Trump has been active on social media since the suspension, making it easier to find targets.
‘I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social, accusing the network of endangering its reputation by reinstating someone who ‘isn’t funny’ and ‘plays 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.’ He called Kimmel ‘another arm of the DNC’ and hinted at legal action, citing a past $16 million payout. Kimmel quipped, ‘Only Donald Trump would try to prove he’s not threatening ABC by threatening ABC.’
But let’s not forget the bigger picture. Kimmel’s Tuesday return broke records, despite nearly a quarter of the country being blacked out due to protests by station owners. Even with these disruptions, his audience hit its highest ever for a regular episode in 22 years. ‘He does know bad ratings,’ Kimmel joked, pointing to Trump’s low approval numbers.
Later, Kimmel helped Fox News investigate the ‘escalator-gate’ scandal — a minor incident at the UN where someone allegedly stopped a moving stairway as Melania and Trump boarded. Fortunately, no real harm came, though the situation was awkward.
OK, so maybe our national nightmare is just getting started. Kimmel was benched a week ago after a joke about MAGA Republicans distancing themselves from Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter. The remark was misinterpreted by some as blaming extreme-right politics for Kirk’s murder. After Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr pushed back, Disney/ABC temporarily shut down the show.
Support from celebrities like Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston helped bring Kimmel back quickly. But the question remains: Is this a sign of things to come, or just a temporary reprieve? What do you think? Let us know in the comments — this is the part most people miss.
