Jimmy Kimmel to return to air on Tuesday

The action came after Kimmel made comments on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s death.

Before the network’s decision was announced, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called for Kimmel’s suspension over the comments.

Unions that represent entertainment professionals and TV writers condemned the move.

Kimmel has not spoken publicly about his show’s preemption or its return to air.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.

After five long months of darkened studios, silent monologues, and a palpable void in the American cultural routine, the lights finally flickered back on. On Monday, October 2, 2023, Jimmy Kimmel, one of late-night television’s most defining voices, walked back onto his stage at the El Capitan Entertainment Centre in Hollywood. It wasn’t just the return of a TV show; it was a collective exhale for an industry battered by historic labor disputes and a beacon of hope that normalcy, however fragile, was on the horizon. His return, alongside his late-night brethren, marked the end of a long, quiet summer and the beginning of Hollywood’s slow, uncertain recovery.

The hiatus, which began abruptly on May 2, 2023, was not a vacation. It was an act of solidarity. When the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike, late-night television was the first and most visible casualty. Shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon are written on a daily basis, their monologues and comedy bits crafted just hours before airtime. Without their writers, these hosts had no show, and they made it clear they wouldn’t want to do one anyway. Kimmel, a WGA member himself, immediately stood with his staff, downing tools and effectively shutting down production. What followed was a 148-day strike that, combined with the subsequent SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike, brought the entertainment industry to a grinding halt.

A Summer of Unprecedented Unity: The “Strike Force Five”

During the long, work-free summer, the silence from the late-night hosts was deafening. Their absence was felt not just in the ratings but in the national discourse. These hosts had become essential interpreters of the daily news cycle, using humor to dissect political absurdity and create moments of shared cultural experience.

Instead of competing for ratings, however, the five biggest names in late-night—Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver—banded together in an unprecedented move. They launched a limited-run podcast called “Strike Force Five.” The premise was simple: for twelve episodes, the hosts would meet via video call to discuss their lives, the strike, and anything else on their minds. More importantly, all proceeds from the successful podcast went directly to their out-of-work staff members from their respective shows.

The podcast was a revelation. It stripped away the polish of television production, offering listeners a candid, often hilarious, and deeply humanizing look at the men behind the desks. They shared stories of solidarity on the picket lines, anxieties about the industry’s future, and comical anecdotes about their forced time off. It was a masterclass in turning a crisis into a constructive, supportive effort. Kimmel, often the group’s wry instigator, helped steer conversations that were both entertaining and a powerful statement of support for their colleagues. This collaboration didn’t just fill the content void; it reshaped the public narrative, emphasizing unity over the traditional late-night wars.

The First Night Back: Laughter and Relief

When the WGA and the studios finally reached a tentative agreement in late September 2023, the hosts coordinated their return with the same unity they had shown all summer. They all came back on the same night: Monday, October 2nd.

Walking out to a roaring studio audience, Kimmel looked both relieved and re-energized. His first monologue was a masterfully crafted blend of gratitude, sharp-witted jabs, and a sincere acknowledgment of the struggle that had defined the past five months. “Thanks for watching, I’m Jimmy Kimmel,” he began, “In case you’ve forgotten, which is a high probability.”

He quickly addressed the elephant in the room. “This strike has been a long and difficult one,” he said, his tone shifting from comedic to earnest. He profusely thanked his writers, the WGA negotiators, and even the public for their support. “We are happy to be back to work,” he declared, “but I want to be clear… we are not the heroes in this situation. Our writers are.”

The episode was a microcosm of late-night’s unique function. He roasted politicians, poked fun at the absurdity of recent news he’d missed, and then seamlessly transitioned to a serious message. However, the return was complicated. While the writers were back, the SAG-AFTRA strike was still in full force, meaning actors could not promote their film and television projects. This presented a unique programming challenge. Kimmel’s first major guest was legendary actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who could appear as a public figure and author to discuss his new motivational book. The booking was a clever workaround, allowing for a star-powered premiere while respecting the ongoing actors’ strikeThe Road Ahead: A Changed Landscape

Jimmy Kimmel’s return wasn’t just a resumption of business as usual. It was a return to a landscape that had been fundamentally altered. The strikes had laid bare the deep-seated economic anxieties of the creative class in the age of streaming and artificial intelligence—issues that would not be solved overnight.

The return of late-night programming was the first step in restarting the Hollywood engine. It brought hundreds of staff members back to work and provided a much-needed morale boost for the entire industry. For Kimmel, it was a reaffirmation of his role as a steady, reliable presence in an often-chaotic world. His ability to blend incisive social commentary with laugh-out-loud comedy is a skill that was sorely missed.

In the end, the long silence of 2023 made the return of Kimmel’s voice—and those of his peers—all the more resonant. It was a powerful reminder that while Hollywood is an industry of stars and studios, it is built on the foundation of its writers, actors, and crew. As Jimmy Kimmel settled back behind his desk, the laughter in the studio was more than just a reaction to a good joke; it was the sound of a community coming back to life, ready to write the next chapter.