Jimmy Kimmel Asked to Apologize by Charlie Kirk’s Producer Following Emotional Monologue

Jimmy Kimmel is facing criticism from a member of Charlie Kirk’s team following his return to late-night television.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired its first episode since being suspended nearly a week earlier over comments the host made regarding the right-wing commentator’s death. The next day, Andrew Kolvet, a producer for The Charlie Kirk Show, addressed Kimmel’s opening monologue during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom.

“What was lacking, in your view?” anchor Bill Hemmer asked. Kolvet responded: “Well, an apology, for one. Where was the ‘I’m sorry?’ Where was the contrition? Yes, he was emotional, but I think he was emotional because, A, he’s really good on camera, and, B, because he’s been under the gun for the last couple of days. That’s what he’s emotional about. All he had to do was say, simply: ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, I will do better.’”

Kimmel’s talk show was pulled “indefinitely” by Disney’s ABC on Sept. 17 after a segment in which he discussed Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination, where Kirk was fatally shot at age 31 during an event at Utah Valley University.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said during the Sept. 15 episode of Live!. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

Kimmel’s show was reinstated on Sept. 23, and he addressed the controversy in his opening monologue the following day.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said, visibly emotional. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it, nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. For those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there was a good chance I’d have felt the same way.”

He referenced his statement released shortly after Kirk’s death, in which he called the shooting “horrible and monstrous” and expressed condolences “to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”

“I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion — and I meant it; I still do,” Kimmel said.

Kolvet criticized Kimmel’s response, describing it as “defiant” and saying he “parsed his words” in an attempt to “thread a needle and play both sides.” Kolvet suggested Kimmel should have clearly told his audience, “This is not okay, I won’t do it again, and for anybody else out there thinking about doing violence, political violence, stop, it’s not okay.”

“When somebody like Jimmy Kimmel says that the shooter was — of Charlie — was MAGA, what he’s really saying is that it’s okay to lie about conservatives, that their lives don’t matter, that his agenda, his political agenda and cultural agenda is more important than the life of my friend who was just taken from us,” Kolvet said.

In his Sept. 23 monologue, Kimmel emphasized the importance of separating politics from violence.

“I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all,” he said. “I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t, ever.”

Kolvet also stated that Kimmel should have directly apologized to the Kirk family, including Charlie’s wife, Erika Kirk. Kimmel addressed Erika in his monologue, saying, “Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow.”

While Kolvet acknowledged that Erika’s response provides a model for the nation, he maintained that Kimmel was not fully taking responsibility.

“Yes, I can forgive Jimmy Kimmel for what he did,” Kolvet said. “I still want him to own it and be accountable to the audience, to the country, because it matters. It matters, Bill, because what it says is, ‘What I did was not okay, what happened was not okay and please forgive me.’ And that’s what we need. If you’re going to get restoration and reconciliation as a nation, healing as a nation, the people that do wrong need to own it.”

Despite the show’s return, Nexstar and Sinclair, two of the largest broadcasting companies, announced they will continue preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their affiliate stations.

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