Like many TV personalities, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos were happy to see Jimmy Kimmel‘s TV suspension lifted on Tuesday night.
“Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show last night. And, you know, we know him personally, and when I tell you he’s one of the kindest, most generous people that I know,” Consuelos stated on the Wednesday, September 24, episode of Live With Kelly and Mark. “He cares about his family, takes care of his crew, his staff, everybody. He really, really cares.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to ABC on Tuesday, September 23. The network’s parent company, Disney, previously suspended the talk show following backlash about comments Kimmel made about the killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Despite the show’s return, the broadcasting companies Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar will continue to preempt the series.
Many viewers viewed Kimmel’s suspension as an attack on free speech by the FCC, which is led by President Donald Trump appointee Brendan Carr. “One thing we can all agree on as a country is that the First Amendment is really, really important,” Consuelos said on Live. “And we do a light show here. We don’t talk about any politics here. We just don’t do it. We know that our fans at home want an escape from all of that, and we agree. We want an escape from all of that. But I think it’s important, too, that we all are free, ’cause you never know.”
Consuelos noted, “We could say something crazy, and tomorrow we’re gone,” to which Ripa jokingly replied, “I say crazy things all the time here!”
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube
Consuelos also addressed the fact that Live and Jimmy Kimmel Live! both air on ABC. “It’s not lost on us that we’re sitting here in the Disney building, our home here, and I think it was the right thing to do for the company to bring him back,” he declared.
Ripa, for her part, said that people today “are constantly in a position where we are checking what we are about to say in our heads because we’ve come to this inflection point where no matter what you say, somebody is upset,” she added, “I think everybody needs to take a step back and really think about, you know — 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.”
Consuelos stated that he has “dear friends” and family members on both sides of the political spectrum, some of whom he disagrees with. “But this is a free society. We’re in a free country,” he said.
Ripa wrapped up the conversation by telling viewers, “Everybody’s welcome at our table.”
Kimmel addressed the controversy surrounding his suspension on Tuesday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and got emotional while clarifying his comments about Kirk’s death.
“You understand 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,” he told audience members while getting choked up. “I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed asking compassion for his family, and I meant it. I still do. Nor did I mean to blame any specific group for the actions of a specific individual. That was actually the opposite of the point I was trying to make. For those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation were reversed, there’s a good chance I would’ve felt the same way.”
He also slammed Trump for criticizing his show despite previously championing free speech. “He did his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show,” Kimmel quipped. “That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”
Live With Kelly and Mark, Weekdays, check local listings
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35 p.m. ET, ABC
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