Jimmy Kimmel Champions Free Speech and Calls Out Trump in Late-Night Comeback 

Jimmy Kimmel made his highly-anticipated return to late-night TV on Tuesday, ending his show’s suspension with a defiant nearly-18-minute opening monologue addressing his six days off air. 

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“I’m happy to be here tonight with you,” the host told the Jimmy Kimmel Live! audience. “It’s been overwhelming. I’ve heard from a lot of people over the last six days. I’ve heard from all the people in the world over the last six days.”

In a monologue that was tear-filled at times, Kimmel thanked fellow late-night TV show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers for their support.

While Kimmel thanked all his supporters, he also commended those who “don’t support” his show or what he believes, but “support [his] right to share those beliefs anyway.” He mentioned Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro, by name.

“This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was put under an “indefinite” suspension from ABC last week over comments Kimmel made during his Sept. 15 monologue regarding the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Those remarks resulted in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatening action against ABC, and media companies Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group—both of which own many ABC affiliates—preempting the show.

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But the late-night series’ abrupt suspension raised freedom of speech concerns that brought together Democrats and some Republicans. Many subscribers of Disney, ABC’s parent firm, protested the move, with some cancelling their streaming service subscriptions and hundreds marching at Disney’s Burbank office last week.

“That’s not legal,” Kimmel claimed of the forces behind his show’s suspension. “That’s not American. That is un-American, and it is so dangerous.” 

Deadline reported that the show’s return hinged on an agreement reached Monday between Disney and Kimmel’s team. Citing an unnamed source, the report said there appeared to be no restrictions on Kimmel as conditions of his comeback: “Jimmy will say what Jimmy wants to say,” the source said.

TIME has reached out to Disney for comment.

Addressing the talks with Disney during his return monologue, Kimmel said: “At the end, even though they didn’t have to, they really didn’t have to—this is a giant company, we have short attention spans, and I am a tiny part of the Disney Corporation—they welcomed me on the air, and I thank them for that, because I know that unfortunately, and I think unjustly, this puts them at risk.” 

Jimmy Kimmel Live! will remain unavailable in many ABC channels, as Nexstar and Sinclair said they will continue to preempt it. Nexstar said in a statement Tuesday it will “produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets” instead, “pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.” Sinclair said in its statement that Kimmel’s show will similarly be replaced with news programming but “discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”

Kimmel also used his show’s opening to clarify the comments he made about Kirk and the suspected shooter, saying “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” nor “was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.” He acknowledged that some viewers may have felt those remarks to be “ill-timed” or “unclear.”

“I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone,” he said. “This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t, ever.”

Trump condemns Kimmel’s late-night return

Not everyone was happy about Kimmel’s late-night return—particularly President Donald Trump. 

“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” the President said on Truth Social shortly before Kimmel’s return aired.  “The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.”

Trump celebrated the suspension and suggested canceling other late-night TV shows that were critical of him. Kimmel, like many other late-night TV hosts, has made Trump the butt of jokes and the subject of criticism over the years. Trump has said that negative coverage of him is “really illegal” and suggested that broadcast networks should have their licenses revoked if they cover him critically.

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The President threatened to go after ABC anew, mentioning the million-dollar settlement ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos paid him last December. Trump had sued Stephanopoulos and the network for libel over the anchor’s inaccurate, on-air statement that Trump was found liable for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll. (A Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll in 2023, but that jury also found that Carroll did not prove Trump raped her.)

“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” Trump said on Kimmel’s comeback. “Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.” 

It’s unclear what Trump means by “testing” ABC out. The White House did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, Kimmel took aim at Trump’s attempts to shut down his show. “Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke,” he said.

Kimmel also lambasted Carr for his threats. 

“Telling an American company ‘we can do this the easy way or the hard way’ or that ‘these companies can find ways to change conduct and take action on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,’ in addition to being a direct violation of the First Amendment, is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public,” Kimmel argued. 

Amid Trump’s threats to pull other late-night TV hosts off air, the host told his studio and TV audience: “I hope that if that happens, or if there’s even any hint of that happening, you will be ten times as loud as you were this week. We have to speak out.”

But Kimmel, whose late-night TV contract reportedly expires in May, also poked fun at Trump’s efforts against him. 

“You almost have to feel sorry for him,” Kimmel said. “He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this.”