Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> is returning<\/a> to ABC on Tuesday, September 23, less than a week after the network pulled the show off the air \u201cindefinitely\u201d because of Jimmy Kimmel<\/strong>\u2018s comments about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect him to come out swinging, and I think everyone here does,\u201d one staff insider told the Daily Mail<\/em> <\/a>of the 57-year-old host, whose removal sparked a nationwide debate<\/a> on the First Amendment, censorship and the FCC.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you he\u2019s not going to roll over and just take it,\u201d says the insider. \u201cWe are depending on him to stand up for what\u2019s right. If he doesn\u2019t, there will be a mutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel, who has been hinting at retirement<\/a> since 2023, is \u201cmad<\/a>\u201d at ABC and was prepared to leave for good, another source told the Daily Mail<\/em>, but came back for his staff.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wanted everyone in his crew not to miss any pay and any more work than they already have missed,\u201d the source told the outlet, adding that he will still exit once his contract is up in May.<\/p>\n On the show tonight, \u201che is going to give us a glimpse of what he has been dealing with the last few days and we will all know what his plans are for the future. He isn\u2019t going to take this lying down,\u201d added the source, calling it \u201cmust-see TV.\u201d<\/p>\n But some parts of the country won\u2019t be able to watch. Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates 38 ABC affiliates around the country, will continue to pre-empt it for local news programming, they announced in an X post<\/a> on Monday, September 23.<\/p>\n \u201cDiscussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show\u2019s potential return,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n Sinclair previously requested<\/a> that Kimmel apologize and make a \u201cmeaningful personal donation\u201d to Kirk\u2019s family and his conservative non-profit, Turning Point USA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.nationalenquirer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MEGA1362914_001-scaled.jpg\")