In his comeback, Jimmy Kimmel struck a tone of sorrow for his controversial comments about Charlie Kirk - without saying sorry - and went on to make clear he would refuse to be cowed by his critics, chiefly Donald Trump.
Referencing last week's remarks that led to his brief suspension by Disney, the late-night talk show host stopped short of an apology as his show returned on Tuesday.
Kimmel chose his words carefully as he said he accepted that some people felt his remarks about Kirk's death had been ill-timed or unclear or maybe both, and told them: I get why you're upset.
Last week, the host made a clumsy connection between the man suspected of shooting the conservative influencer earlier this month and the Maga gang, and joked that Trump's reaction was akin to how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.
On Tuesday, Kimmel choked up as he told viewers it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. And, again, it was not his intention to blame any specific group for the actions of Kirk's killer.
He stressed that he meant it when he posted a message sending love to Kirk's family on Instagram last week, before this row erupted.
However, Kimmel was also at pains to make clear that the furore of recent days would not force him to back off in his treatment of Trump.
In fact, being at the centre of a storm about free speech seems to have hardened his resolve.
“This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this,” Kimmel said to whoops from his studio audience.
After airing a clip of Trump ridiculing his low ratings, Kimmel pointed out that the row had brought huge attention to his comeback and returned the ridicule. He tried his best to cancel me, Kimmel joked. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.
The host added: A government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti-American, before repeating for emphasis: That's anti-American. Trump has signalled that Kimmel's return will escalate his battle with both the comedian and his network, Disney-owned ABC.
In his latest comments, Trump took jabs at Kimmel's ratings and mentioned how he believed Kimmel is a democrat mouthpiece, complicating the relationship between the network and the presidency. Meanwhile, Kimmel's supporters have expressed enthusiasm for his resolute approach and humor.
His critics, however, are divided. While some accuse him of not being sufficiently apologetic, others, particularly from the right, suggest Kimmel's display of emotion may have been insincere.
Overall, Kimmel's comeback marks not only a personal milestone but signifies the ongoing tension between political commentary and media in contemporary discourse.
