(NEXSTAR) – Hours before his late-night show was set to return to air, Jimmy Kimmel took to Instagram for the first time since “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was suspended over comments he made following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On Monday, Disney announced “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would return to ABC’s lineup after “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.” The company said last week that it was preempting Kimmel’s show “because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
ABC suspended Kimmel’s show last week after Kimmel made multiple comments following the death of Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
The network’s decision came after Nexstar Media, the parent company of this news station, announced its ABC affiliates would pre-empt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely over his comments. Nexstar announced Tuesday that Kimmel’s show will continue to be preempted on the company’s affiliate stations.
In an Instagram post Tuesday, Kimmel shared a photo of him posing with the late Norman Lear, the writer, director, and producer who propelled political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms like “All in the Family.” Lear died at his home in Los Angeles in 2023.
“Missing this guy today,” Kimmel wrote in the post.
Lear’s “All in the Family” was immersed in the headlines of the day. Racism, feminism, and the Vietnam War were flashpoints in the sitcom featuring blue-collar conservative Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor, and liberal son-in-law Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner).
CBS was initially reluctant to take on the daring series, Lear would say. When the network finally aired “All in the Family,” it began with a disclaimer: “The program you are about to see is ‘All in the Family.’ It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are.”
By the end of 1971, “All In the Family” was No. 1 in the ratings and Archie Bunker was a pop culture fixture, with President Richard Nixon among his fans. However, Nixon would object to an episode about a close friend of Archie’s who turns out to be gay, privately fuming to White House aides that the show “glorified” same-sex relationships. As People reports, Lear would ultimately find himself on Nixon’s “enemies list.”
Ahead of President Trump’s first term, Lear also called on filmmakers to protect the First Amendment, warning in December 2016 that “if…[Trump] or his administration in any way threatens the free speech rights of our documentary filmmakers, the [International Documentary Association] and every supporter in this room must — will, I am sure — hunker down together and fight our a—- off.”
Kimmel, meanwhile, has frequently criticized President Trump, who in turn celebrated the suspension of Kimmel’s show last week.
His late-night show will return Tuesday, featuring actor Glen Powell, who is starring in the upcoming series, “Chad Powers,” and musical guest Sarah McLachlan. As The Hill reports, McLachlan canceled a scheduled performance for Disney’s Lilith Fair documentary over concerns about the “muzzling of free speech” in the wake of Kimmel’s suspension.
How — or even whether — Kimmel would address the controversy on his first show back remained a mystery. Millions of people are likely to watch.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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