Howard Stern joked on his radio show that ABC had reinstated Jimmy Kimmel’s show after the radio host threatened to cancel his Disney+ subscription

Howard Stern has joked that he “solved another problem” as ABC ended Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension and his show was allowed to return on Tuesday night.

The network had suspended the popular program on Wednesday last week after the TV host made comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing in a monologue which were deemed “offensive.”

But after nearly a week of protests during which Americans expressed concerns for freedom of speech in the country, Jimmy Kimmel Live! came back to TV – even though Sinclair-owned affiliates announced they will not resume airing the show.

Just before ABC announced that Jimmy’s show would return, Howard, 71, had spoken about the suspension on his SiriusXM show and told his listeners he was canceling his subscription to the network’s parent company, Disney+, in protest.

Howard said ABC “didn’t want to fire” Jimmy but were “pressured by the United States government” to do so, which he described as a violation of free speech.

Howard Stern joked he ‘solved another problem’ (Image: Getty Images)

Hours after The Howard Stern Show aired, the company announced that Jimmy’s show would return to its regular slot on Tuesday – before Howard even had time to cancel his subscription, he said.

On Tuesday, the broadcaster opening his show by joking that he had “solved another problem” as he told co-host Robin Quivers, “What should we fix today, Robin? Global warming? I’m on a roll.”

He then revealed he had spoken to his friend Jimmy and was “very happy that this thing was resolved.”

Howard also applauded Disney for “doing the right thing” in bringing the show back.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! had been suspended after the host said “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Backlash to his comments was swift, with Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, saying they would be pulling the show from their stations.

But on Monday, ABC confirmed the show would return as it said in a statement, “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”

Jimmy Kimmel and Howard are friends (Image: ABC via Getty Images)

Despite this, Sinclair said on Monday that it would not air the show on Tuesday and would broadcast news programming instead.

“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Kirk and now headed by his widow Erika Kirk, posted on X about Kimmel’s reinstatement, “Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make. Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”

Kimmel has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer. He is also well known as a presenter, having hosted the Academy Awards four times.