“I’ve been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight,” he said. “And the truth is, I don’t think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference … I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind.”
And here’s just one example:
When Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show on select airwaves Tuesday night, he was emotional about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, thankful for the support of many colleagues and free speech advocates, and adamant about warnings of government censorship.
- “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
- “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. I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what, it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”
- “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 ever.”
- “And maybe, weirdly, maybe, most of all, I want to thank the people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway. I never would have imagined if, like Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis, Candace Owens, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, even my old pal Ted Cruz who believe it or not, said something very beautiful on my behalf.
- “This show isn’t important — what’s important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this,” he said.
- “You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried, did his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now. ”
For those who missed it, the full monologue is below: