Late-night host Stephen Colbert couldn't help but make a joke about his own show's demise as he celebrated the news that ABC would end its suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! just a week after President Donald Trump pushed to get host Jimmy Kimmel off the air following comments Kimmel made about the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC announced Kimmel's show would return Tuesday, September 24, having had internal discussions with Disney, which experienced significant backlash and a wave of subscriber cancellations in the wake of Kimmel's suspension.
Colbert's audience erupted into applause when he said:
"Just a few hours before we taped this broadcast, we got word that our long national late-night nightmare is over, because Disney announced that 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' will return to air on ABC tomorrow, Tuesday night." ...
"Yes, sir, as well it should be. It’s wonderful news for my dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff that he can continue his show."
Then he joked:
"Once more, I am the only martyr in late night. Unless, wait, CBS, you want to announce anything? Right, 'cause the money thing, I forgot, yeah."
The audience roared.
You can hear what Colbert said in the video below.
Colbert's remark referenced the controversy surrounding his own show over the summer.
At the time, CBS, citing economic concerns, announced that his program would go off the air next May—news that came as its parent company, Paramount, sought government approval for a merger with Skydance.
Meanwhile, Paramount executives immediately went on defense, emphasizing in a statement that the cancellation “is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” They insisted the move bears no relation "to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
But just days after Colbert's show was cancelled, the the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the merger. Over the summer, Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump, which Colbert said amounted to a payoff to secure approval for the merger.
Many immediately saw what Colbert was putting down.
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While Kimmel will return, there is still opposition to his reinstatement.
Nexstar Media Group said Tuesday it will keep pre-empting the program on the ABC stations it owns or partners with, stating it will “stand by that decision” until there is assurance that all sides are committed to “respectful, constructive dialogue” in the markets it serves.
The announcement followed a similar move by Sinclair Broadcast Group a day earlier. Together, Nexstar and Sinclair control roughly 70 ABC affiliates, blocking tens of millions of U.S. viewers from watching the show on traditional broadcast.
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