Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are weighing in on Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late night TV following his talk show’s suspension.
“Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show last night, and listen, we know him personally, and when I tell you he’s one of the kindest, most generous people I know,” Consuelos, 54, said at the start of his own daytime talk show with his wife on Wednesday, September 24. “He takes care of his family, crew, his staff, everybody. He really, really cares.”
Ripa, also 54, agreed that Kimmel, 57, “cares about people.”
Consuelos added that Kimmel’s monologue, in which the comedian spoke about the importance of the First Amendment and clarified the comments he made about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s death, was “on point.” The Riverdale alum said he “understood both sides” of the political divide.
“He was very humble in his speech. Very, very responsible. One thing we can all agree on as a country is the First Amendment is really important,” Consuelos continued. “We do a light show here. We don’t talk about any politics here. We just don’t do it. We know our fans at home want an escape from all of that. And we agree. We want an escape from all of that.”
Consuelos noted it was important to remember that “we all are free, because you never know, we could say something crazy tomorrow, and we’re gone.”
Ripa quipped, “I say crazy things all the time here. We can all agree.”
Consuelos added, “I think it was the right thing to do for the company to bring him back.”
Ripa concluded, “I think everybody needs to take a step back and really think about, I have a right to speak, and you have a right to say horrible things to me on Instagram. That’s the pleasure of living in a free society.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to broadcast on Monday, September 23, six days after it was abruptly pulled from the air due to backlash over Kimmel’s remarks about the September 10 shooting of Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Kimmel began the episode by showing news clips claiming his first monologue post-controversy would be the most “pivotal moment” in recent broadcast history. The cameras cut to the talk show host and his sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, who were dressed in a mouse and banana suit, respectively.
When Kimmel took to the stage, he was greeted with a standing ovation and the audience chanting, “Jimmy! Jimmy!” Kimmel then got serious.
“You supported our show, cared enough to do something about it, to make your voices heard so that mine could be heard, and I will never forget it,” Kimmel said in his monologue, thanking people like Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens, who he “never imagined” he’d receive support from.
“It takes courage to speak out against this administration and they did and they deserve credit for it and thanks,” he said. “For telling their followers that our government cannot control what we do and do not say and TV.”
Regarding his comments about Kirk’s death, Kimmel said, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day [Kirk] was killed, sending my love to his family, asking for compassion, and I meant it, and I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was a deeply disturbed individual. That was actually the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”
A rep for ABC confirmed to Us Weekly on September 17 that Kimmel’s show would be “pre-empted indefinitely.” The move came after Kimmel divided viewers with a comment about Tyler Robinson, Kirk’s accused shooter, during the September 15 episode of his talk show.
“The MAGA Gang [is] 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,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
He also poked fun at Donald Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death, which caused a social media reaction from the president.
The decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! caused controversy among fans and celebrities, with many calling for a boycott of Disney, which owns ABC.
The Walt Disney Company announced on Monday, September 22, that the show would be coming back.
“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,” the company told Us in a statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. 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.”