Jimmy Kimmel’s Staff Gave Him ‘a Much Deserved Standing Ovation’ Ahead of His Return Episode After Suspension

Jimmy Kimmel received a heartfelt welcome from his late-night team as he returned to hosting duties following a brief suspension at ABC.

A Jimmy Kimmel Live! staffer told PEOPLE exclusively that Tuesday, Sept. 23, marked a “very emotional” day back at work. The show returned for its first new episode nearly a week after ABC “indefinitely” pulled it from the schedule just before it was set to tape on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

“We gave Jimmy a much-deserved standing ovation at rehearsal,” the employee said, noting that everyone was “very happy,” “relieved,” and “excited for tonight’s show.”

The staffer also mentioned that Kimmel’s first opening monologue after the suspension was still a work in progress, saying, “that will take all day.”

ABC had confirmed to PEOPLE that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “indefinitely” pulled after Kimmel, 57, made comments about late right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.

“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 his Sept. 15 monologue regarding Tyler Robinson, 22, charged with aggravated murder in connection with Kirk’s death. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.”

Kimmel then aired clips of President Donald Trump being asked about Kirk’s death, including a reporter offering condolences and asking how he was coping. Trump responded, “I think very good,” before shifting focus to the White House’s new ballroom under construction.

“Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,” Kimmel quipped. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay?”

Prior to the episode, Kimmel offered condolences on social media to Kirk’s family. “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” he wrote. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents, and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”

Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, called Kimmel’s on-air remarks “truly sick” during an interview on Benny Johnson’s podcast and said the FCC had a “strong case” to hold Disney — ABC’s parent company — accountable if it didn’t “take action on Kimmel.”

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”

Carr also urged “individual licensed stations” airing ABC content across the country to step up and take action.

Nexstar, the largest local broadcast and digital media company in the U.S., and Sinclair, which operates the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, condemned Kimmel’s comments and refused to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! in their markets, a move Carr praised on X.

Nexstar recently announced plans to acquire Tegna, a rival broadcast company, for more than $6 billion, a deal that would extend its reach to 80% of America’s TV-owning households, despite current law limiting ownership to 39%. The acquisition requires FCC approval, overseen by Carr.

Sinclair outlined conditions for Kimmel to meet before resuming airings, including issuing “a direct apology to the Kirk family” and making a “meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,” Kirk’s nonprofit promoting conservative politics on campuses.

ABC’s decision to put the show on indefinite hiatus drew praise from President Trump, who called Kimmel “fired for lack of talent,” and criticism from Hollywood peers, industry unions, and fellow late-night hosts.

The network announced on Monday, Sept. 22, that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return on Tuesday, Sept. 23, nearly a week after the 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,” Disney said in a statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”

A staffer told PEOPLE there was “relief and joy across the board” when they learned the show was returning, adding that the team had been hoping for “some sort of peaceful resolution” with the network.

Despite ABC reinstating Kimmel’s show, Sinclair and Nexstar confirmed they would continue preempting it in their local markets, a move Carr once again praised.

Kimmel has stayed mostly silent throughout the saga, only returning to social media on Tuesday, Sept. 23, with a photo of himself alongside the late TV legend Norman Lear. “Missing the guy today,” he captioned the post.

Lear, best known for creating All in the Family, famously sued the FCC in the 1970s and appeared on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list.” He passed away at 101 in 2023.

Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, shared a post celebrating the show’s return, writing alongside the official Jimmy Kimmel Live! Instagram account, “We are back full of love.”

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