Jimmy Kimmel Clarified What He Was Trying to Say About Charlie Kirk in His Return — Did He Apologize?

After being off the air for almost a week, Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show on Tuesday, and delivered an extended monologue discussing ABC's decision to suspend him. Kimmel got emotional at various points during the monologue, and especially when he discussed Charlie Kirk's shooting, which was apparently the reason he was suspended.

Following his return, many wanted to know whether he apologized to the Kirk family for his previous remarks. Here's what we know about what he said.

Kimmel did not apologize to them directly, but he did try to clarify what he had intended to say in the monologue that got him pulled off the air. It's important to remember that Kimmel's initial remarks were not about Kirk himself but were instead about the way Republicans had used his death to go after their perceived enemies.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said.

“Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual," he added.

He also said that the day of Kirk's shooting, he had posted a statement on Instagram calling it a "senseless" act, and he was clearly getting emotional at the suggestion that he had somehow celebrated Kirk's death. Kimmel then went on to praise Kirk's widow, Erika, who during her eulogy decided to forgive the man who killed him.

“It touched me deeply,” he said, “and 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."

Kimmel's statement, while not quite an apology, seemed to be an effort to reach out to the Kirk family and those who were upset at his previous statement. It was not the sole focus of his monologue, though, which also touched heavily on the censorship he faced.

In addition to addressing Kirk's shooting, Kimmel spent plenty of time in his monologue discussing his own suspension and why it should be scary to people who value free speech, even if they don't agree with it.

“This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What’s important is that we live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”

Kimmel also spoke about the people who had reached out to him, including comedy hosts from other countries who “get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power, and worse.”

“They know how lucky we are here,” Kimmel said. “Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country, and that’s something I’m embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen off the air," referring to CBS host Stephen Colbert.

Kimmel also expressed solidarity with the other late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, who the president promised to target next. “We have to speak out against this," he said.