The biggest takeaway from Jimmy Kimmel's return monologue that we can all take a lesson from

Millions of people have watched Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue upon his return to the airwaves, but before we get into that, let's briefly go over how we got here. On September 17, 2025, the late night talk show host had his show suspended over commentary he made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder. In case you missed it, here’s what Kimmel said that led to his suspension:

“We had some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism. But on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this. [Plays clip of video of President Trump on the White House lawn being asked how he’s personally holding up after the death of his friend, to which Trump responds, “I think very good, and by the way, over there you see all the trucks. They’ve just started construction of the new ballroom…”] Yes. He's at the fourth stage of grief. Construction. Demolition. Construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend.”

That comment resulted in an uproar, primarily from folks who interpreted it as Kimmel saying the shooter was part of the MAGA movement (which wasn’t actually what he said). The day Kimmel was suspended, FCC chairman Brendan Carr went on a podcast and made what Senator Ted Cruz characterized as a “mafia boss” style threat to ABC and Disney, which resulted in an outcry over government interference with free speech.

After consulting with Kimmel and receiving a wave of backlash from people across the political spectrum, Disney announced Kimmel's show would return on September 23. While we have no numbers for how many people tuned in live, Kimmel’s return opening monologue has garnered 12 million views on YouTube alone less than 24 hours after it aired. A person who was in the room (who asked not to be named) tells Upworthy that Kimmel's parents and in-laws were in the audience, and that, "the crowd was particularly charged. Everyone was moved and emotional."

It's worth watching the whole monologue, as there are multiple noteworthy moments in it, but one part in particular stands out as an example we can all learn from. While some people were looking for Kimmel to say he was sorry for his words, Kimmel took a more honest and nuanced approach, one that is actually more meaningful than a rote, forced apology. He put himself in his critics' shoes and saw what he said through their lens.

"I do want to make something clear because it’s important to me as a human. And that is you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t, I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.

"I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed sending love to his family and asking for compassion and I meant it and I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what … was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.

“But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way. I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t it, ever.”

This part: "I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way." That's is exactly what is missing from far too much of our public discourse.

It’s no secret that the U.S. is steeped in a seemingly intractable political divide, to the point where Americans—sometimes even those in power—refer to entire groups of Americans as “the enemy.” Both sides blame the other for divisive rhetoric, and those who try to bridge the divide are often derided by people on the extremes (who often have the loudest voices and get the most engagement).

But Kimmel’s example of understanding how people felt looking at his words through their perspective is something we desperately need more of. “I don’t agree with your stance, but I can see where you’re coming from and understand how you got there” is a powerful statement in polarized times.

In short, it’s empathy—a concept a lot of people seem to struggle with. Charlie Kirk said he didn’t believe in empathy, stating that it’s impossible to feel what someone feels if you haven’t experienced what they’ve experienced. But that’s simply not true. Humans have imaginations that give us the ability to put ourselves into other people’s shoes if we choose to. It requires detaching ourselves from our own perspective and purposefully taking on another temporarily, which can sometimes be hard, but not impossible. If we didn’t have that ability, fiction stories wouldn’t exist, we wouldn’t feel for characters in books we wouldn’t cry when we watch certain movies.

Kimmel’s emotional praise of Erika Kirk’s example of forgiveness also struck a chord. We can vehemently disagree with someone’s entire worldview and still acknowledge when they do or say something praiseworthy.

Even if people didn’t agree with everything Kimmel said, let’s celebrate that he didn’t capitulate to pressure and picked right back up being the comedian he’s always been. Late night comedy shows have long been outlets for political satire, and even if we don’t like it personally, the freedom to joke about government officials and political matters is a hallmark of a healthy democracy. Kimmel demonstrated in his monologue that we are capable of empathizing with those we disagree with and that freedom of speech is not negotiable.

As the person who was there for the live monologue tells Upworthy, "I hope that what I felt in that room actually reaches across party lines, and folks can hear his actual message to humankind, and to the American people, with empathy, compassion and an open dialogue, and the opportunity to listen to one another again. And to listen to the actual message, rather than the clickbait headline versions that people seem to base their entire opinion of the world on."

You can watch his entire opening monologue here:

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