(This story was updated to add new information.)

In a highly anticipated monologue, Jimmy Kimmel talked about his removal from the air, President Donald Trump, Erika Kirk, and the solidarity he received in his late-night return on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Walt Disney, which owns ABC, had announced the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the day prior.

Kimmel, at times emotional in his monologue, said a government threat to silence a comedian the “president doesn’t like” is “un-American” and expressed how glad he was to find solidarity in that from “the right, the left, and from those in the middle.”

“Maybe the silver lining from this is we found one thing we can agree on, and maybe we’ll even find another one,” Kimmel said. “Maybe we can get a little bit closer together. We do agree on a lot of things.”

He listed what people agree on, such as keeping their children safe from guns and affordable healthcare.

“Let’s stop letting these politicians tell us what they want and tell them what we want,” Kimmel said.

Here’s an overview of what he said if you didn’t watch his monologue, and how to watch his full opening monologue.

Kimmel talks about freedom of speech, Trump

The crowd chanted Kimmel’s name before his opening monologue, the audience cheering in what was sure to be a powerful moment for the late-night talk show host.

“Anyway, as I was saying before I was interrupted,” Kimmel opened with, prompting laughter.

Kimmel told the audience he was “happy” to be there with them and thanked the people who had checked in on him. He gave a special thanks to his fellow late-night talk show hosts, including Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Conan O’Brien, and James Corden, among others.

“I also want to thank all of you… who supported our show, cared enough to do something about it, to make your voices heard so that mine could be heard. I will never forget it,” Kimmel said. “And maybe, weirdly, 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.”

“This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”

Kimmel said he took for granted his freedom of speech, something comedians and talk-show hosts from other nations admire about the U.S., and described affiliate stations being “coerced” to take his show off air as “un-American.”

He made jokes about Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission and President Doanld Trump, using previous a previous quote from Carr and a clip about Trump in which they advocated for free speech, drawing a contrast to their more recent actions.

“[Trump] tried his best to cancel me,” Kimmel said. “Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show… he might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”

Kimmel continued to talk about Trump in his opening monologue.

“The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs,” Kimmel said. “Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke.”

Was Robert De Niro on Jimmy Kimmel?

Kimmel also had a bit in which Robert De Niro played the “new chairman” of the FCC in a clip, where De Niro humorously acted like a mob boss and made threats about free speech.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk?

Kimmel also used his monologue to address his comments about the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk and highlight a “beautiful moment” involving his wife, Erika Kirk.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

He added that it wasn’t his intention to blame any group for the actions of the alleged shooter of Kirk.

“I don’t think the murder who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone,” Kimmel said. “This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution and it isn’t, ever.”

He also said Erika Kirk forgiving the alleged shooter was “an example we should follow.” Kirk did so during her late husband’s memorial in Arizona.

“If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was,” Kimmel said. “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. Not this.”

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Where can I watch Jimmy Kimmel’s full opening monologue

The opening monologue is available on YouTube to watch.

Gavin Newsom on Colbert: What did he say on Tuesday?

Gov. Gavin Newsom shared a grim outlook for the United States in his appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday, Sept. 23 — his fear that there won’t be an election in 2028.

The comment came about following Colbert asking Newsom about his podcast, in which he’s featured Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief White House strategist.

The California governor said he received a lot of criticism for, quoting others, “platforming people we disagree with.”

“Divorce is not an option,” Newsom said. “At the end of the day we got to figure out a way to live together, advance together across our differences.”

Newsom described the importance of learning “from your opponents” and “reconcile your weaknesses.”

“As a Democratic party, we have a lot of work to do to make up for our failures in the past,” Newsom said. “We got crushed in this last election. And now we’re in a position [where] we are struggling to communicate, we’re struggling to win back now the majority in the House of Representatives and that’s a big part of what I’m doing not just today in terms of the work out here raising money but also raising awareness around how Donald Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections and how I fear that we will not have an election in 2028.

“I really mean that in the core of my soul unless we wake up to the code red, what’s happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is,” Newsom said.

Colbert questioned Newsom more on his latter concerns.

Among what Newsom said in response was the presence of federal agents near a press conference in Los Angeles in August to announce a special election for redistricting.

Newsom described it as an intimidation tactic, saying that’s a “preview” of what’s to come at nationwide voting booths and polling places. While Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the incident as no coincidence, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told USA TODAY that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had arrested two people alleged to be illegally in the nation in the vicinity of Newsom’s press conference.

He also brought up Trump’s takeover of the California National Guard and the deployment of U.S. Marines into California back in June to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, whom he characterized its agents as “increasingly appear to be swearing an oath of office” to Trump and not the U.S. Constitution.

Among what else was discussed during Newsom’s appearance on Tuesday was his press office’s headline-making social media strategy that mimics, and mocks, Trump to the creation of the West Coast Health Alliance.

In a lighter moment during the California governor’s appearance, Colbert teased that Newsom wished he was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” — which returned to air on Tuesday — instead of appearing on Colbert’s show.

Who was on Jimmy Kimmel last night?

Actor Glen Powell was the celebrity guest on Tuesday’s show. Grammy winner Sarah McLachlan performed.

USA TODAY reporter Terry Collins contributed to this story.

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at [email protected].