Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to late-night television Tuesday after a nearly weeklong suspension that triggered a national discussion about freedom of speech and President Donald Trump’s ability to police the words of journalists, commentators and even comics.
Kimmel’s suspension came after comments he made on the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist who was killed on Sept. 10 by a gunman in Utah.
His suspension was heavily criticized by others in the entertainment industry and Democratic politicians, including Gov. Janet Mills, who called it “a terrible affront to our right to free speech,” in an interview last week.
Although the show will return, it will not be airing across all ABC channels, NBC News reported Tuesday morning. Sinclair, a company that operates more than 35 ABC affiliates across the nation, will be playing news programming during Kimmel’s regular time slot.
There are no Sinclair-owned ABC TV affiliate stations in Maine.
If you are planning to watch tonight, Kimmel will be available on WVII-TV Bangor, Channel 7 and WMTW Portland, Channel 8, according to the stations’ programming guides.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
