Jimmy Kimmel Returns: Was It a PR Stunt?

There’s no business like show business, but this reeks of monkey business. In a surprising (or maybe not so much) reversal, ABC has announced that late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, whom we just told you had been suspended following vile comments he made regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk, will be back on the air tonight.

As reported by Fox Business:

The Walt Disney Co. has announced ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return on Tuesday after a brief suspension.

“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.  It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.  We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” a Disney spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Experts argue that ABC and Disney put itself in a tough situation by swiftly pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s show last week after his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death. Though there is some distance between those who say ABC risks some backlash from viewers and those who say advertising dollars were more critical.

So less than a week ago, I told you how ABC had pulled the plug on Jimmy Kimmel for his disgusting remarks about Charlie Kirk and President Trump’s supporters. Now people are wondering if this suspension was even real. If so, does this mean the network just caved to pressure from the Hollywood Leftist elites accusing it of censorship, or was this all a big PR stunt to drum up attention for a floundering show and a controversial host? That said, Kimmel’s comments about the Kirk murder were disgusting, and I’m sure ABC was probably happy to remove him from the air for a few days to catch their breath and figure out how to handle yet another Kimmel controversy.

And to be fair, technically, they never said Kimmel was fired: only that the show was being “pre-empted indefinitely.” That could mean forever, or it could mean five minutes. In this instance, “indefinitely” translated to a few days plus a weekend. Don’t forget Disney has a lot of money invested in Kimmel, as he also hosts their primetime reboot of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and other events. They wouldn’t just terminate that relationship.

Of course, some on the Left are triumphantly patting themselves on the collective back, claiming this as some victory of censorship and the MAGA Right. After all, the Left has been tearing its hair out over Kimmel’s dismissal for days, despite hardly uttering a word over the unconscionable murders of Charlie Kirk or Iryna Zarutska.

And don’t be surprised if Kimmel’s ratings skyrocket tonight. Many new viewers will tune in, as will his supporters, to see how he behaves following his brief exile. I wouldn’t expect a kinder, gentler Kimmel either. Odds are he’s celebrating this as a win as well, and the message received is, “Do what thou wilt.” We may see what the real Kimmel, freed of consequence, will say. ABC and parent company Disney know they’ll see a big boost tonight that they can show to shareholders, no matter what Kimmel does. But I don’t think bringing him back is any more of a political victory for one side than suspending him was for the other.

We later turned our attention to the United Nations, where President Trump just spoke at the U.N. General Assembly. Just one day after the start of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, President Trump brought up Israel and the hostages still being held in Gaza.

Trump defended our ally Israel against the repeated antisemitic attacks of the U.N. and questioned if it has lost its purpose. Trump essentially stood on the world stage and branded the modern U.N. as ineffective, stating:

What is the purpose of the United Nations? The U.N. has such tremendous potential. I’ve always said it. It has such tremendous, tremendous potential. But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential. For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter. And then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action. Now after ending all these wars and also earlier negotiating the Abraham Accords, which is a very big thing for which our country received no credit, never receives credit. . . . But for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who live to grow up with their mothers and fathers because millions of people are no longer being killed in endless and inglorious wars.

It was interesting to see President Trump directly calling out the global community for essentially doing nothing to stop wars around the world, other than by writing impotent letters and making half-hearted and cleverly crafted statements. This is why it’s very important for the ACLJ team to continually be there, in New York and in Geneva, because we come prepared with legal arguments on our side.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also joined us on the broadcast to share his personal feelings regarding the state of the U.N.:

I wouldn’t have said this 10 years ago, but now, having personally experienced this and now watched it for the last 4.5 years after I left office, you can see very clearly that the U.N. has become dysfunctional. It no longer serves its intended purpose. When war breaks out, does anybody think, let’s go to the United Nations and solve this? I think the answer to that is no. And they turn, instead, to the United States for that kind of leadership. And so in my judgment, the U.N. has become incapable of accomplishing its mission. The President said he still thinks it has high potential. I’m not confident that’s actually true. I think we need to refresh and start over after 75 years. I’m not sure the United Nations is any longer fit for purpose. It doesn’t help keep peace.

The President made it clear he still believes in the U.N., but with the current antisemitic venom currently infecting the global body – including more member States announcing they will recognize the state of “Palestine” – it’s hard to be optimistic.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more analysis of President Trump’s address at the U.N., including reaction from Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell.

Watch the full broadcast below: