Jimmy Kimmel Live! is officially back on the air, and Jimmy Kimmel‘s first guests couldn’t be happier.
Robert De Niro, Glen Powell and Sarah McLachlan each featured during the Tuesday, September 23, episode, Kimmel’s first in nearly a week.
First up was De Niro, 82, who appeared as a fictional FCC (Federal Communications Commission) chairperson via a video link. (FCC Chair Brendan Carr said at a New York City forum one day prior that, despite speculation, there was no government pressure to suspend the late-night talk show.)
Kimmel, who jokingly said he had scheduled an on-air interview with Carr, told De Niro he believed mob tactics had been engaged to suppress free speech. De Niro responded, “What the f*** did you just say to me?” (De Niro is notorious for portraying intimidating mob characters in films like Goodfellas and The Irishman.)
The tongue-in-cheek exchange was followed by the arrival of Powell, 36, who stepped out to warmly embrace Kimmel, 57, and shake his hand. “I’m sorry to pull you into the middle of all this,” Kimmel said to the Twisters actor, who responded with a smile, “I’m just so happy you’re back.”
Musical guest McLachlan, also 57, then followed with a performance of “Better Broken,” the title track from her tenth studio album. In the lead-up to the show’s return, the singer shared supportive words via her Instagram account. “So happy that Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air,” she wrote on Tuesday. “Even happier to be performing on @JimmyKimmelLive TONIGHT!”
McLachlan previously expressed her support for Kimmel at the premiere of her ABC New Studios documentary, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery. McLachlan and Jewel were among the musicians expected to perform at the event in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 21, but McLachlan revealed they decided not to sing.
“It’s a gift for all of us to see [this film], but also I’ve grappled with being here tonight and around what to say about the present situation that we are all faced with, the stark contraction to the many advances we’ve made watching the insidious erosion of women’s rights, of trans and queer rights, the muzzling of free speech,” McLachlan said. “I think we’re all fearful for what comes next, and none of us know, but what I do know is that I have to keep pushing forward as an artist, as a woman to find a way through, and though I don’t begin to know what the answer is, I believe we all need to work towards a softening to let in the possibility of a better way, because I see music as a bridge to our shared humanity, to finding common ground.”
McLachlan added that she hoped the documentary left the audience feeling inspired to “keep championing the causes you believe in with kindness and empathy” before explaining her choice not to perform.
“I apologize if this is disappointing, but we have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech,” she said. “Thank you for your understanding.”
ABC announced on Wednesday, September 17, that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “pre-empted indefinitely” following his controversial comments about Tyler Robinson, the accused killer of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
“The MAGA Gang [is] 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 September 15 episode of his talk show. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Amid the fallout, fellow late night hosts including Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert publicly voiced their support for Kimmel. Some stars went one step further by canceling their subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu. On Monday, September 22, a group of 400 celebrities — Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Aniston among them — signed an open letter standing up for Kimmel and free speech.
Later that day, ABC officially announced Kimmel’s return. “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,” read a statement from the company. “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.”
Despite the network’s decision, more than 30 ABC affiliate stations under the Sinclair Broadcast Group are still not airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!
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