![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Jimmy-Kimmel.jpg\"\/)
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Jimmy Kimmel. [Photo Credit: Reuters]<\/p>\n
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said on Wednesday he believed his comments about the reaction to the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk were \u201cintentionally and maliciously mischaracterized\u201d by critics before his show was suspended.<\/p>\n
Kimmel drew outrage from conservatives for saying on his September 17 show that President Donald Trump\u2019s supporters were desperate to characterize Kirk\u2019s accused assassin \u201cas anything other than one of them\u201d and for trying to \u201cscore political points\u201d from his murder.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles, Kimmel added that he thought critics had \u201cintentionally and maliciously mischaracterized\u201d his remarks.<\/p>\n
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ABC parent Walt Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab temporarily pulled \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d off the air after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said the host misled viewers about Kirk\u2019s alleged shooter\u2019s affiliation with Trump\u2019s Make America Great Again movement. Carr urged local stations to push back and raised the possibility of the FCC revoking the licenses of local television stations that did not comply.<\/p>\n
Kimmel said he spent the weekend following his suspension speaking with Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden about how to address the situation.<\/p>\n
Disney reinstated Kimmel after six days off the air.<\/p>\n
The host said he told Disney executives \u201cthe spirit of what I\u2019m going to say\u201d when he returned to the airwaves \u201crather than specifically what I was going to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upon his return, Kimmel defended political satire against \u201cbullying\u201d from Trump and officials in his administration.<\/p>\n