Jimmy Kimmel chokes up over Charlie Kirk's widow Erika in emotional monologue

Jimmy Kimmel was feeling emotional during his return to late-night.

In his monologue on the first episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the show's suspension, Kimmel choked up while discussing Erika Kirk, the widow of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

ABC pulled Kimmel's show off the air on Sept. 17 after he sparked backlash for saying that the "MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize" Charlie Kirk's alleged killer as "anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

But on Tuesday, Kimmel became teary eyed when he mentioned Kirk's widow.

"There was a moment over the weekend, a very beautiful moment. On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow," Kimmel said, growing emotional.

"If you believe in the teachings of Jesus, as I do, there it was," he continued. "That's it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply, and I hope it touches many. If there's anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that."

Erika Kirk delivered an emotional eulogy at a Sept. 21 memorial service for her late husband, cofounder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, after he was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University. She said she forgives Tyler Robinson, the man who has been charged with killing her husband, "because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do," adding, "The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love."

Prior to Kimmel's suspension, Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, slammed the comedian for his remarks about Kirk's killing and appeared to threaten ABC to take action. Disney said it suspended Kimmel's show to "avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country" and because some of his comments were "ill-timed and thus insensitive."

In his Sept. 23 monologue, Kimmel grew emotional as he said it's "important to me as a human" to make clear that it was "never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man."

"I don't think there's anything funny about it," he said. "I posted a message on Instagram the day he was killed sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it, and I still do."

Kimmel also said he didn't intend to blame "any specific group" for the actions of a "deeply disturbed individual." He said that was "really the opposite of the point I was trying to make," but he understands that "to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both."

"To those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset," he said. "If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way. … 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, ever."

On the day Kirk was shot, Kimmel condemned the murder on Instagram, writing, "Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence."

Kimmel's suspension drew widespread condemnation in the entertainment industry, with many slamming the move as an example of the government censoring speech. Kimmel is known as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and has regularly criticized the president both on his show and in other venues, including the Academy Awards.

In his returning monologue, Kimmel argued that Carr pressuring ABC to take action against him was a violation of the First Amendment and said that a "government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti-American."

Carr has denied that government pressure was the reason ABC suspended Kimmel's show. "Jimmy Kimmel is in the situation that he is in because of his ratings, not because of anything that's happened at the federal government level," the FCC chair said on Sept. 22.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY; Reuters