In his comeback appearance on US television, Jimmy Kimmel struck a tone of sorrow for his controversial comments following Charlie Kirk's death - without saying sorry - and went on to make clear he would refuse to be cowed by his critics, chiefly Donald Trump.
Referencing last week's remarks that led to his brief suspension by Disney, the late-night talk show host stopped short of an apology as his show returned on Tuesday.
Kimmel chose his words carefully as he said he accepted that some people felt his remarks about Kirk's death had been "ill-timed or unclear or maybe both", and told them: "I get why you're upset."
Last week, the host made a clumsy connection between the man suspected of shooting the conservative influencer earlier this month and the "Maga gang", and joked that Trump's reaction was akin to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish".
Addressing the controversy on Tuesday, Kimmel choked up as he told viewers it was "never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man". And, again, it was not his "intention" to "blame any specific group" for the actions of Kirk's killer.
