LOS ANGELES - Comedian Jimmy Kimmel said

his comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk

were “intentionally and maliciously mischaracterised” by the political right.

The host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Tonight! became a central figure in the Trump administration’s culture wars following comments he made about

the assassination of Mr Kirk

in September.

Kimmel’s remarks prompted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to tell TV stations to drop the show or potentially face regulatory consequences. 

Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair, two large station-group owners, and ABC parent Walt Disney Company suspended the progam for several days, prompting a backlash and national debate over free speech.

Disney

returned Kimmel to the air

on Sept 23 to his highest-ever ratings. Nexstar and Sinclair added the show back to their lineups later that week.

Kimmel, whose contract is up in May, declined to comment about whether he would continue hosting the show after that.

Speaking at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles on Oct 8, Kimmel said he saw the reaction to Mr Kirk’s death as “distortion on the part of some right wing media networks and I aimed to correct it”.

In a Sept 15 monologue, Kimmel accused Republicans of using Mr Kirk&rsqu...