Jimmy Kimmel is getting the last word.
Less than a week after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly suspended “indefinitely” amid backlash to comments he’d made during his Sept. 15 monologue about Charlie Kirk’s murder, Kimmel returned to the air and got emotional while sharing his thoughts on the controversy, emphasizing that he never intended to insinuate that he condoned violence.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said, choking back tears. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
And Kimmel went on to explain that it was also not his intention to “blame any specific group for the actions of what it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.”
“That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make,” he said. “But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear—or maybe both—and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, it was a good chance I’d feel the same way.”
However, the late-night host said he “did not agree” with ABC’s decision to pull him off the air.
“I told them that, and we had many conversations,” Jimmy recalled, adding that they ultimately changed their minds. “We have short attention spans, and I am a tiny part of the Disney Corporation. They welcomed me back on the air, and I thank them for that.”
