After nearly a week off air, Jimmy Kimmel returned to the stage for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday evening, which drew droves of fans to the El Capitan Theatre as they hoped to watch one of the most-anticipated episodes in the show’s history.
Kimmel’s show was “pre-empted indefinitely” last week due to a series of controversial comments he made regarding the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The decision to bring Kimmel’s show back was made after The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, said that they had “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.”
Fans who watched the show were buzzing upon exiting the theatre, many of whom said it was the best they’d ever seen.
“It really was momentous. I wouldn’t just say that as hyperbole,” said Katie Persico. “You could feel the emotion. Not just from his family, from his wife and everyone who worked there, but from the audience.”
Kimmel’s much-anticipated and very emotional monologue, which doubled as the first time he addressed the situation, was met with an uproar from the crowd.
“Thunderous. Screaming. If you’ve ever been to a sports event, that pitch in your ear and you can’t hear anything other than that, that’s what it was like,” said Walter Bates.
“I was lucky enough, I sat next to his mom, and she was very emotional. Which was very catchy, because I felt myself getting emotional,” said Leesa Bates.
Others said they were overcome by the moment.
“It was electric,” said another audience member named Matthew. “Everyone was standing up. We were hollering and everything. It was just amazing.”
For self-proclaimed superfans like Persico, they see the show’s return as a piece of history.
“I say that Jimmy Kimmel is my Taylor Swift. I’ve been here so many times to see him,” she said. “But even if I wasn’t that big of a fan, I would’ve been so excited to be here because it’s such a big moment… a victory for free speech, and hopefully one of many.”