The late-night landscape witnessed a moment of unity as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon offered supportive remarks on the return of Jimmy Kimmel to ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" following a brief suspension. Colbert, in his final season on "The Late Show," used his monologue to express gratitude for his audience and subtly acknowledged Kimmel's return, praising him as a "wonderful fella." He humorously noted the likely shift in viewership towards ABC, emphasizing the camaraderie within the late-night community.
Meanwhile, Fallon on "The Tonight Show" playfully deflected any anticipation of addressing a similar suspension, joking about the confusion between himself and Kimmel. This lighthearted approach further highlighted the shared support amongst the late-night hosts.
Kimmel's return was met with a nearly 30-minute monologue addressing the controversy surrounding his comments about Charlie Kirk and passionately defending free speech. He framed the situation as a fight against attempts to silence comedians, drawing parallels to figures like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Howard Stern, and expressing satisfaction with the broad, bipartisan support for free expression. He highlighted the unexpected agreement on this issue, even mentioning figures like Joe Rogan. The monologue was widely lauded as powerful and impactful and is poised to become one of his most-watched ever.
Prior to Kimmel's return, fellow late-night hosts like Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers had already voiced their support, with Meyers even framing the return as a significant public rejection of attempts to suppress free speech. Despite the positive national response, Kimmel's show remains unavailable in parts of the U.S. due to continued preemption by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar.
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Originally published at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/stephen-colbert-jimmy-fallon-jimmy-kimmel-return-1236378614/
