Charlie Kirk's producer slams Jimmy Kimmel for not apologising on return

Andrew Kolvet, a member of Charlie Kirk’s team, feels a formal apology was missing during Jimmy Kimmel's return to late-night televeision.

Kolvet's concern came a day later on Wednesday when he made a guest appearance on Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom.

“What was lacking, in your view?” anchor Bill Hemmer asked of Kimmel's return following suspension, to which Kolvet replied, “Well, an apology, for one.”

“Where was the ‘I'm sorry?’ Where was the contrition?" he said, later adding, "All he had to do was say, simply, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, I will do better.’”

Kolvet elaborated, “Yes, he was emotional, but I think he was emotional because, A, he's really good on camera," Kolvet noted.

"And, B — well, I wouldn't say really good, maybe, but he's used to it — and, B, because he's been under the gun for the last couple of days. That's what he's emotional about."

An apology to Kirk's family was one of the demands put forward by the regulators for lifting the suspension on Kimmel's late night show. Other demands were a personal donation to Kirk's family and Turning Point USA, and discussions with ABC over professionalism and accountability.

Kimmel’s suspension stemmed from controversial remarks he made about the Sept. 10 killing of the conservative activist, Kirk.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was then reinstated on Sept. 23, during which Kimmel addressed his comments in his opening monologue the next day.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he began as he teared up. “I don't think there’s anything funny about it, nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual."

"That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. For those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there was a good chance I'd have felt the same way.”

He pointed to a statement he had shared immediately after Kirk’s death, sending condolences to the family and condemning gun violence.

Yet, Kolvet slammed Kimmel’s response for being “defiant,” accusing Kimmel of “parsing his words” instead of taking responsibility.

He went on to say that Kimmel should have told his audience, “This is not okay, I won't do it again, and for anybody else out there thinking about doing violence, political violence, stop, it's not okay.”

He argued that by linking Kirk’s killer to MAGA supporters, Kimmel suggested “it’s okay to lie about conservatives” and minimised the tragedy.