Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has said he “believes in the teachings of Jesus” as his late-night program returned to air.

The show had been suspended indefinitely after Kimmel said the country had “hit some new lows,” with "the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

ABC’s parent company, Disney, said the comments were “ill-timed and thus insensitive.”

After international uproar over censorship, the show returned on Tuesday night. A visibly emotional Kimmel declared that he “never meant to make light of the murder of a young man,” or to blame either side of the political spectrum for “the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.”

Kimmel then praised Kirk’s widow, Erika, for forgiving her husband’s killer. "Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband," he said. "She forgave him. That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was.”

He also described Erika’s approach as “an act of grace.” “Forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. It touches many, and if there's anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that and not this," he said.

Kimmel had a Catholic upbringing and was an altar boy as a child.

In 2017, he had a public disagreement with Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, who accused Kimmel of mocking Christian values.

"It doesn’t fit your stereotype, but I happen to be a Christian too," Kimmel responded. "I made my first Holy Communion, I was confirmed, I pray, I support my church, one of my closest friends is a priest, and I baptized my children. Christian is actually my middle name. I know that’s shocking, but it’s true."