Jimmy Kimmel returns after six-day break, Trump voices sharp criticism

Jimmy Kimmel returned to hosting his late-night show after a six-day hiatus. “It was never my intention to trivialize the murder of a young man. I don't think there's anything funny about it. Nor did I want to blame a particular group for the actions of an obviously disturbed individual — in fact, I wanted to say the exact opposite,” Kimmel explained.

Disney, the parent company of ABC, which airs “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” had suspended the show two days earlier after Kimmel said in his opening monologue that supporters of President Donald Trump were trying to portray the murderer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk “as someone other than one of them” and accused them of wanting to “capitalize politically” on his death.

According to the results of the investigation so far, Kirk was murdered by a supporter of radical left-wing ideologies.

Even before the show aired, Trump wrote that he “couldn't believe” ABC had given Kimmel his show back and hinted at further action against the network. He described Kimmel as “an extension of the Democratic National Committee” and his programs as “illegal campaign contributions.”

Although Kimmel returned to ABC programming after less than a week, the two largest groups of local ABC stations—Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair—continue to boycott his show.

(reuters, est)