Stephen Colbert<\/strong> is celebrating Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s<\/strong> emotional return to late-night television after Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> was placed on an indefinite hiatus earlier this month.<\/p>\n During the September 24 episode of CBS\u2019 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em>, Colbert, 61, praised Kimmel\u2019s performance on his first night back<\/a>. \u201cLast night our friend Jimmy Kimmel returned to television, just so proud of him! So proud to know that man,\u201d Colbert said in a clip shared to Instagram<\/a> that featured the caption \u201cFree speech prevails.\u201d He added, \u201cJimmy spoke beautifully about free speech and unity, he made great jokes, showed his deep emotions, got huge ratings.\u201d<\/p>\n Colbert also pointed to the viral success of Kimmel\u2019s monologue, which included a speech taking aim at Donald Trump<\/strong> and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over what he called threatening comments.<\/p>\n According to Colbert, the video was on track to break Kimmel\u2019s personal record with 12 million views in 12 hours. It has since surpassed 19 million views on YouTube<\/a>. Ever the comic, Colbert joked that it was \u201conly\u201d 5 billion views behind the viral El Chombo clip of the dancing green alien set to \u201cDame Tu Cosita\u201d feat. Cutty Ranks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The remarks follow Disney\u2019s announcement that Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> would resume airing on September 23, nearly a week after it was pulled from the schedule<\/a>. The hiatus came after Kimmel made controversial comments about the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Kimmel, 57, received a standing ovation from the audience as he returned to the stage Tuesday night. \u201cAnyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted,\u201d he joked before thanking fans, friends and \u201cfellow late-night talk show hosts\u201d for their support. He also gave a nod to Colbert<\/a>, whom he described as \u201cmy friend\u201d who has \u201cfound himself in this predicament.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.nationalenquirer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Featured-1-Jimmy-Kimmel-5.jpeg\")