Jimmy Kimmel wins major award months after ABC pulled him off air, then immediately does the thing that got him suspended

Jimmy Kimmel loves making fun of Donald Trump, and he did it again while accepting a big award at the Critics Choice Awards. The late-night host won the Best Talk Show prize at the ceremony and used his speech to take shots at the 79-year-old president.

Kimmel’s win came months after ABC briefly pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. Two major station owners, Nexstar and Sinclair, complained about a show where Kimmel talked about Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter.

Instead of avoiding the topic, Kimmel talked about it directly during his speech. He thanked everyone who supported him when his show was suspended. “Thanks to all the writers and actors and producers and union members who supported us and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or in this country,” he said, as per Unilad.

Kimmel couldn’t help himself from mocking Trump again

Then Kimmel turned his attention to the president. “Most of all, I want to thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom we would be going home empty-handed tonight,” Kimmel said. He added, “Thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day.”

The suspension happened three months ago in September. After ABC pulled Kimmel’s show, Trump celebrated on social media. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote. He called Kimmel talentless and said he had worse ratings than even Colbert. This wasn’t the first time Trump made controversial policy moves that sparked public debate.

The trouble started when Kimmel talked about Charlie Kirk’s death. Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10 at an event in Utah. Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson for the killing.

On his show five days later, Kimmel criticized how Trump and MAGA supporters reacted to Kirk’s death. He mocked Trump’s response when asked about losing his “good friend.” In a clip, Trump said “I think very good” and then talked about White House construction.

Kimmel joked, “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend.” Trump supporters got angry about the segment, which led to the suspension. While public reactions to controversial moments can be unpredictable, like when crowds cheered at a malfunctioning robotaxi, the backlash against Kimmel was swift and severe.

But Kimmel was back on air just five days later and now has a new deal with Disney through 2027.