Jimmy Kimmel Cries over Charlie Kirk’s Widow, Says He Didn’t Intend to ‘Make Light’ of His Murder

Jimmy Kimmel made an emotional return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a six-day suspension.

During his monologue, Kimmel addressed his previous remarks about Charlie Kirk. Midway through, he became tearful while discussing Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and her speech at his memorial service on Sunday, Sept. 21.

Kirk, a right-wing commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was 31. Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with his death.

At the memorial, Erika, recently named CEO and chairman of Turning Point USA, shared a message of forgiveness for Robinson.

“Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him,” Kimmel said on Tuesday night.

“That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was,” he added. “A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow.”

Kimmel continued, “It touched me deeply. I hope it touches many, and if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that and not this.”

Throughout his monologue, he also emphasized his intentions.

“It’s important to me as a human. And that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said through tears. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

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

“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, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way.”

Kimmel’s return comes nearly a week after ABC put his late-night show on an indefinite hiatus on Wednesday, Sept. 17, following warnings from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr that the network and its parent company, Disney, could face action over Kimmel’s remarks.

Kimmel had addressed Kirk’s death during the Monday, Sept. 15 episode, saying, “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.” He added, “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

The show was pulled from the air on Sept. 17, confirmed by an ABC spokesperson. Two major broadcasting companies, Nexstar and Sinclair, also announced they would preempt the show on their affiliate stations.

In the days that followed, activist groups, late-night hosts, Hollywood figures, and political commentators expressed outrage over ABC’s decision.

Then, on Monday, Sept. 22, the Walt Disney Company confirmed that the show would return on Tuesday, Sept. 23. However, both Nexstar and Sinclair said they would continue preempting the broadcast.

During Kimmel’s suspension, Kirk’s memorial service took place on Sunday, Sept. 21. Tens of thousands of attendees — surpassing the State Farm Stadium’s capacity of 63,400 — gathered to pay tribute. Overflow crowds watched from secondary venues.

Alongside Erika, speakers included President Donald Trump and members of his administration, including Vice President JD Vance, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., White House adviser Stephen Miller, and others.