Jimmy Kimmel returns, addressing Charlie Kirk and 'un-American' axing

Jimmy Kimmel has been greeted with a standing ovation upon his visibly emotional return to late-night as he thanked those who stood up for him. 

Kimmel was taken off air due to comments about the shooting of right-wing speaker Charlie Kirk.

The star was met with a standing ovation and a chorus of "Jimmy" from the crowd. 

"I'm not sure who had a weirder 48 hours, me or the CEO of Tylenol," Kimmel started, before getting earnest. 

Kimmel's comments — suggesting the conservative pundit's alleged killer may have been a MAGA Republican — caused uproar from Republicans and saw his show "indefinitely" axed as a result last week.

Referencing the statement, Kimmel broke down into tears.

"I don't think there's anything funny about it. 

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

"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."

Kimmel said he understood now the comments may have appeared "ill-timed" and added if they were reversed there was a  "good chance I'd felt the same way". 

He also thanked his supporters, and his opponents. 

"Thanks to those who supported this show, who cared enough to do something about it, to make your voices heard so that mine could be heard," he said.

"I will never forget.

"And weirdly, maybe most of all, I want to thank the people who don't support my show and what I believe in but support my right to share those beliefs anyway." 

Referencing a line made by Republican Senator Ted Cruz in support of the host, Kimmel said it took courage for those on the Right to back him. 

"It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration and they did and they deserve credit for it," he said. 

"For telling their followers that our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and what we do not say on television and that we need to stand up to it."

ABC affiliate Sinclair did not air Kimmel's show on Tuesday and broadcast news programming instead.

Fellow affiliate Nexstar followed suite, meaning Kimmel's return was not available to an estimated one-quarter of US households.

Trump's cancellation backfires 'bigly' 

US President Donald Trump, who celebrated Kimmel's pause, was in disbelief before the airing. 

"The White House was told by ABC that his Show [sic] was cancelled!" He wrote on Truth Social.

"I think we're going to test ABC out on this. Let's see how we do."

Mr Trump mentioned his defamation lawsuit with ABC in which they agreed to give $US15 million ($23 million) to the president's library after comments made by news anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Kimmel told his audience Mr Trump did "his best to cancel me" but that it "backfired bigly". 

"Instead, he forced millions to watch this show ... He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now," he said. 

Speaking of parent company Disney who faced boycotts in light of the decision, Kimmel said he was thankful they brought him back when "they really didn't have to". 

"Unfortunately, and I think unjustly, this puts them at risk," he said. 

 "Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke."

Mixed reaction as stars support

Kimmel's comedian sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez posted in the hours before the show went on-air with a message responding to the backflip: "We are back full of love." 

Kimmel's guests included singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and actor Glen Powell.

Fellow late-night star, Stephen Colbert, whose show was axed in July, was one of the first to congratulate Kimmel on his return.  

"Now that Jimmy's not being cancelled, I get to enjoy this again," Colbert said, holding up his Emmy to his audience. 

"Once more, I am the only martyr in late-night!"

But, in reference to his cancellation, Colbert jokingly added, "Unless ... CBS, you want to announce anything?"

Kimmel also touched upon Colbert's cancellation and Mr Trump's threats to other hosts Seth Meyes and Jimmy Fallon, telling his audience to support them "10 times as loud".

"(Free speech is) something I'm embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen off the air and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live to take my show off the air," he said. 

"That's un-American."

Fans entering tonight's taping acknowledged the importance of its return. 

"I'm really happy that Jimmy kind of won this battle," one audience member told Reuters.

"We're part of the stand he took by being part of this (taping)." 

Meanwhile, some Charlie Kirk supporters voiced their disappointment in the comeback. 

"I'm so sick of one's side opinion taking precedence," one mourner told Reuters at a Arizona site of a tribute to Mr Kirk.

"I mean somebody died.

"I wouldn't care if it was somebody I despised, I would never celebrate their death, and so all they did was show their evil."

Kimmel's cancellation was spurred by Brendan Carr, head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates broadcasters, who urged local broadcasters in ABC's network to quit airing the star and warned stations that they otherwise could face fines or the loss of licences.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Mr Carr said at the time.

Mr Carr's attack on Kimmel marked his latest effort to rein in media companies for perceived bias against the Trump administration and Republicans, stoking fears among free-speech advocates who see the FCC chairman wielding the agency's regulatory authority as a cudgel.