Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos make rare political statement after Jimmy Kimmel's return: 'Understood...

---

Consuelos said it's &34;not lost&34; on him that &34;Live&34; films in a Disney studio, and that he has &34;plenty of friends on both sides&34; with whom he dis

Consuelos said it's "not lost" on him that "Live" films in a Disney studio, and that he has "plenty of friends on both sides" with whom he disagrees but loves.

Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos make rare political statement after Jimmy Kimmel's return: 'Understood both sides'

Consuelos said it's "not lost" on him that "Live" films in a Disney studio, and that he has "plenty of friends on both sides" with whom he disagrees but loves.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

September 24, 2025 9:53 a.m. ET

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos; Jimmy Kimmel. Credit:

Craig Barritt/Getty; Disney/Randy Holmes

- Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos made a rare political statement after Jimmy Kimmel's return to ABC.

- "He cares about people," Ripa said, while Consuelos praised Kimmel for understanding "both sides."

- "One thing we can all agree on as a country is the First Amendment is really important," Consuelos said.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos made a rare political statement on *Live With Kelly and Mark* Wednesday, the morning after Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC in the wake of parent company Disney temporarily suspending him following comments he made about the alleged assassin of 31-year-old political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Following Kimmel's tearful return to the network Tuesday night, in which he urged audiences "to speak out against" the kind of political furor that led to his suspension, Consuelos and Ripa kicked off their show on a serious note.

"Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show last night, and listen, we know him personally, and when I tell you he's one of the kindest, most generous people I know," Consuelos said. "He takes care of his family, crew, his staff, everybody. He really, really cares."

Ripa jumped in to observe that "he cares about people," while Consuelos said he felt that "his statements last night" were "on point" because "he understood both sides" of the political divide.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos address Jimmy Kimmel's return on 'Live'.

"He was very humble in his speech. Very, very responsible. One thing we can all agree on as a country is the First Amendment is really important," Consuelos continued. "We do a light show here. We don't talk about any politics here. We just don't do it. We know our fans at home want an escape from all of that. And we agree. We want an escape from all of that."

He went on, stressing the importance "that we all are free, because you never know, we could say something crazy tomorrow, and we're gone."

Ripa joked, "I say crazy things all the time here. We can all agree."

Consuelos refocused his point, saying that "it's not lost on us that we're sitting here in the Disney building, our home here," he said, referencing the syndicated show's parent studio from where it broadcasts in New York City.

"I think it was the right thing to do for the company to bring him back," he finished.

White House calls 'The View' hosts 'has-beens' after Jimmy Kimmel segment

UN challenges Donald Trump's claim it gave him faulty teleprompter for TV speech

Ripa added that while "we can all agree here, even though we're a light, frothy" program, "we are constantly in a position where we are checking what we're about to say in our heads because we've come to this inflection point where no matter what you say, somebody is upset."

She continued, "I think everybody needs to take a step back and really think about, I have a right to speak, and you have a right to say horrible things to me on Instagram. That's the pleasure of living in a free society."

Consuelos concluded the opening host chat by noting that he has "plenty of friends on both sides, and I have dear, dear friends that I disagree with," but whom he loves anyway, despite disagreeing with them politically.

"This is a free society, a free country," Consuelos said, while Ripa finished with a positive note, telling the audience that "everybody's welcome at our table."

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

In his monologue on Tuesday's *Jimmy Kimmel Live*, Kimmel said that "it was never my intention to make light of a murder of a young man," referencing comments about Kirk's alleged killer that drew ire from the political right.

"I don't think there's anything funny about it. 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," he said. "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. But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset."

Kimmel original remarks about Kirk's alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, aired on Sept. 15. "We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it," he said.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos address Jimmy Kimmel's return.

President Donald Trump harshly criticized Kimmel's return, writing "I can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back" on his Truth Social platform. "Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his 'talent' was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who's not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE."

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter* *to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

Trump and other conservative figures have also drawn criticism for targeting media figures whose views differ from theirs, including Trump's spoken intention to "probably go after" journalists like ABC's Jonathan Karl, while Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr told Fox News over the summer that he feels there might be "consequences" for *The View* cohosts that "aren't quite finished."

*Live With Kelly and Mark* airs weekdays in syndication. Check your local listings for showtimes in your area.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL TV"

Read More

---

Source: GETTY MAG

Read More >> Full Article on Source: GETTY MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities