(MENAFN- Live Mint) Comedian Jimmy Kimmel believed his late-night show was finished after ABC suspended the program due to comments he made about the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.

“A list of demands was presented to me, and I was not going to go along with any of them,” the host said at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday.“And it's like, well, I guess we're done. I said to my wife, 'That's it. It's over.'”

In his first interview since returning to the air, Jimmy Kimmel stated that his comments about political activist Charlie Kirk 's killing were“intentionally and maliciously mischaracterised” by the political right, according to Bloomberg.

Also Read: How Charlie Kirk, a college dropout, became Donald Trump's ally?

Kimmel, the host of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on ABC , became a central figure in the Trump administration's culture wars after his remarks last month. His comments led Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to urge TV stations to drop the show, warning of potential regulatory consequences.

What was Jimmy Kimmel's controversy? Watch

In his Sept. 15 monologue, Kimmel accused Republicans of using Kirk's death to criticise their opponents.“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” he said.

At the Screentime event on Wednesday, Kimmel said he saw the reaction to Kirk's death as“a distortion on the part of some right-wing media networks and I aimed to correct it.”

Kimmel didn't script his monologue on the night he returned to the air, saying it was“something that really had to come from inside me, and had to be truthful, and I had to lay it all out there and be honest with what I was feeling.”

Kimmel, whose contract is set to expire in May, declined to comment on whether he plans to continue hosting 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' after that.

The show was briefly suspended by Nexstar Media Group Inc., Sinclair Inc., and ABC, sparking a national debate on free speech. Both Nexstar and Sinclair asked Kimmel to apologize and make a donation to Charlie Kirk's cause.

Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel recalls 'unusual' call with ABC about cancelling his show

Kimmel returned to the air on September 23, drawing his highest-ever ratings. Following his return, Nexstar and Sinclair reintroduced the show to their lineups later that week.

Also Read: Trump Administration vows justice for Charlie Kirk, will focus on immigration violations and target radical Left

The host said he wouldn't invite Carr on the show but that he would ask President Donald Trump to be a guest.

Despite the show of support for Kimmel from fans and other late-night hosts, the economics for the format are declining, amid pressure from streaming platforms and a generational change in viewership. In July, CBS announced it would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after its current season, labeling it“purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”

Kimmel said low ratings for the shows that air before his have cut into his viewership. The availability of clips on YouTube has hurt as well.

Still, he said, he doesn't believe shows like his and Colbert's are losing tens of millions of dollars as has been reported. Those numbers don't include other revenue the shows generate, such as fees from local stations, he said.

When asked who should succeed Bob Iger as CEO at Disney, Kimmel noted that it would be“very foolish for me to answer that question.” But he stated his admiration for Disney's TV chief Dana Walden, who played a central role in the show's suspension and return.

Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel breaks records with 6.26 million viewers as late-night show returns to TV, calls Trump 'anti-American'

“I ruined Dana's weekend” with nonstop phone calls, Kimmel said.“But I don't think the result would have been as positive if I hadn't talked to Dana as much as I did. I love Dana Walden very much, and I think she's done a great job.”

Other speakers on Wednesday night included Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl and Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters.

The Bloomberg Screentime conference, an annual event centered on entertainment, sports, and media, continues Thursday morning with guests like Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, music manager Irving Azoff, and 'Sinners' director Ryan Coogler.

A distortion on the part of some right-wing media networks and I aimed to correct it.

Disney reinstated Jimmy Kimmel after he was off the air for six days.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)

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