American Broadcasting Company (ABC) late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! will resume in the US on Tuesday, almost a week after it was suspended due to remarks made about conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk's assassination, the parent company of ABC, the Walt Disney Company, announced.
"Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country, " said Disney in a statement on Monday.
"We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday, " the company added.
In his monologue last week, Kimmel proposed that Tyler Robinson, the accused murderer of Kirk, might have been a pro-Trump Republican.
"The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it, " Kimmel said.
ABC's suspension was promptly praised by then-President Donald Trump. Trump and top administration officials have placed blame for Kirk's death on the "radical left," knocking aside Democrats' assertions that violence is a two-way street politically.
US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr cautioned last week that Disney and ABC might face action for Kimmel's comments, stating that the FCC might even think of suspending ABC affiliate stations' licenses as a possible sanction, Xinhua news agency reported.
The suspension, nevertheless, provoked intense criticism from Hollywood celebrities and unions. Over 400 celebrities, such as Tom Hanks and Jennifer Aniston, signed an open letter by the American Civil Liberties Union in favor of Kimmel.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. on September 18 announced that its owned and partner stations affiliated with ABC would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the near future.
Nexstar operates the biggest US local television broadcasting network, consisting of top-ranked network affiliates, with more than 200 owned or partner stations covering 220 million individuals, based on its website.
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