Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers hail the end of "national late-nightmare" with Jimmy Kimmel's ABC return

ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! after comments its host made about the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk stunned the late-night landscape. Now, the network has announced that Jimmy Kimmel will return to the air on Tuesday night.

This latest move has drawn notable reactions from his colleagues Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers, who hailed the decision as the end of what they called a "long national late-nightmare."

The controversy began when Jimmy Kimmel, during his September 16 monologue, made the following remarks regarding Kirk's fatal shooting:

"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

The remarks drew the ire of Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr. Eventually, Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced they would preempt Kimmel's program "indefinitely". ABC ultimately suspended production of the show.

Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers' reactions to Jimmy Kimmel's ABC return

On Monday night, ABC announced that Kimmel would return to his desk after multiple days of discussions between the network and the host. Within a few hours, both Colbert and Meyers celebrated the news on their shows.

Stephen Colbert told his audience:

"Just a few hours before we taped this broadcast, we got word that our long national late-nightmare is over because Disney announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to air."

He described it as "wonderful news" for his friend and his staff. He also joked that since Kimmel was no longer canceled, he could once again enjoy his Emmy without guilt. Colbert also noted with irony that he may remain "the only martyr in late night." He stated this because CBS has scheduled the end of The Late Show in 2026. Colbert added:

"Once more, I am the only martyr in late-night. Wait, unless, CBS, you want to announce anything?"

On the other hand, Seth Meyers opened up about Jimmy Kimmel's ABC return during his "A Closer Look" segment. He argued that the backlash against ABC's suspension depicted how attempts to silence political comedy could provoke significant reactions. Meyers said that there has been a "massive national backlash to Trump’s crackdown on free speech."

He mentioned:

"Donald Trump is publicly calling on his attorney general to prosecute his political enemies and said TV networks that criticize him should lose their broadcast license. But that's not us, right? We are good? What we are on a network?. But I don't even wear a suit. This is a network? I thought we only aired on those gas station TVs."

He used his monologue to point out that late-night hosts have often made jokes about presidents of both parties, stating:

"We make jokes about politicians and people in the news, including Joe Biden. It was just harder with Joe Biden, because he didn't say much. You, on the other hand, talk all the time. You never stop talking. You didn't stop talking when he was president."

Meyers continued:

"You have talked more than all the other Presidents combined ever. People say Johnny Carson didn't make this many jokes about politics, but he would have if every time he spoke, Ronald Reagan did 15 minutes on how toilets don't flush well anymore."

Jimmy Kimmel started his career with The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money. He has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003.

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Also Read: "The moral cowardice is breathtaking": Internet reacts as Sinclair moves Charlie Kirk special online instead of replacing 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

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