Jimmy Kimmel Met The Moment In His Return, With A Little Help From Robert De Niro. .m

Greeted by a standing ovation and chants of “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy!” from his studio audience, and revealing news of a German job offer, Kimmel started off with a nod to the great Jack Parr’s return to the air after a corporate run-in of his own in 1960. Warming up, he thanked his fellow late-night hosts past and present, his fans and fans of free speech like “even my old pal Ted Cruz.”

Yet, for all the anger and backlash around Kimmel’s suspension, the longtime host’s deft decision Tuesday was to speak to the conservative activist’s grieving family and the big picture in America right now.

Oh, and never forgetting Live! is late-night comedy, Kimmel turned the spotlight of free speech on Trump and his real-life FCC chair Brendon Carr by showing their own contradictory words and actions vis a vis free speech. In addition, Kimmel got some hilarious help and cultural Kevlar from Robert De Niro played the new sycophantic head of the FCC to seal the deal — cause that’s how the pros do it.

De Niro went straight into regulatory character to hit all the right notes.

“It’s just me Jimmy the chairman of the FCC, gently suggesting that you gently shut the f*ck up,” De Niro declared in the pre-taped bit. “But you can’t say that, that’s a violation of free speech,” Kimmel protested. “Oh, yeah, about that speech? It ain’t free no more,” De Niro replied, making it perfectly clear what was on the table.

Was it the greatest late-night show ever? No. Was it the greatest TV comeback ever? No. Was Kimmel weak for not coming out screaming that he was leaving ABC for the greener and likely less restrained pastures of Netflix or YouTube? Not at all. Kimmel has been doing late-night a long long time, decades in fact, and he knows that the way you win is playing the long long game — which is what we saw, as we have from him numerous times before.

If you were expecting an apology, this wasn’t the comeback where you were going to get it. Kimmel’s knee did not hit the studio floor Tuesday. Also, if you couldn’t watch because you lived in one of those markets ruled by Sinclair and Nexstar, Kimmel had some advice: streaming.

In a sweet extra to the whole thing, Trump’s outdated shivs of Kimmel having low ratings are going to look even more tin-eared in the next day or so when the numbers come in. Even with nearly 20% of ABC’s linear reach off limits thanks to Nexstar and Sinclair’s continued preemptions, they should be big.

One-liners, a hug from Guillermo and defending the First Amendment aside, there was, as one would expect after a week in which a late-night host going dark put where America is now in stark perspective, some tears Tuesday. In that vein, Kimmel’s voice broke a few times, especially when speaking of widow and now Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk for the undeniable grace and forgiveness she displayed this past weekend towards the man who killed her husband. Kimmel’s own grace under pressure was on display with his dedication to his craft and POV.