‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ audience members talk show’s return – NBC Los Angeles

Audience members who attended Tuesday’s taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” described the late night host’s monologue as “unifying.”

Kimmel returned to television on Tuesday after Disney’s ABC pulled the talk show off the air last week over the host’s comments about the death of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk. The short-lived hiatus lasted about a week, with ABC announcing on Monday that Kimmel would return to air the following day.

As audience members exited the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday, they described Kimmel’s opening monologue as being full of heart.

“It was a great show. He’s amazing,” Dana from Philadelphia said. “He was gracious, he was standing up for freedom of speech, funny. He was wonderful. It was a great show, a great experience.”

Burbank resident Kathy also had positive things to say about the monologue.

“He made sure that what he said was very clear,” she said. “He explained just enough about his feelings … he made sure he won that message of everyone coming together and understanding where we stand as a country.”

Dana echoed that sentiment of unity.

“To me, it felt very unifying,” she said. “The audience was behind him. He was just very, again, gracious and just really a champion for freedom of speech.”

Dean from Long Island agreed and said he watched the show with an open mind.

Tuesday’s taping was set to begin at 4:30 p.m. PST. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.

“It was just more unifying,” he said. “I consider myself an Independent, I try to stay out of this side, that side, but it was touching. It was nice. I don’t need to hear it; I already believe that. I think a lot of other people need to hear it.”

While audience members had glowing reviews of Kimmel’s return, some social media users have expressed disappointment in his return and in his monologue.

Shortly before Kimmel’s return aired, President Donald Trump sharply expressed his displeasure with the show’s comeback. In a social media post, the president alluded to potentially suing the network over the show’s return.

“I can’t believe ABC fake news gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The White house was told by ABC that his show was canceled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is gone and his ‘talent’ was never there.”