Jimmy Kimmel resurfaced on Instagram Tuesday, posting a photo with late TV icon Norman Lear, hours before his controversial return to "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC.

The caption read, "Missing this guy today."

Lear, who died in December 2023 at 101, created All in the Family, a sitcom that boldly tackled social issues, earning him a spot on Nixon’s enemies list.

"I think I just got lucky," Lear said in a 2016 Democracy Now interview, recalling Nixon’s taped remarks about the show. "That show that makes fun of a good man."

Kimmel’s tribute, seen by many as a nod to free speech, followed a week-long suspension of his show after comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.

ABC yanked Jimmy Kimmel Live last week after Kimmel’s September 15 monologue, where he claimed MAGA was responsible for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk's death.

“We hit 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," Kimmel lamented, before he was fired.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr labeled the remarks “insensitive at a critical moment for our country," urging an apology.

Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, major ABC affiliates, threatened to drop the show, prompting Disney to suspend it indefinitely.

Disney’s statement on Monday explained, "Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."

Hollywood rallied in response.

Over 430 stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Robert De Niro, and Meryl Streep, signed an ACLU-backed letter condemning the suspension as a "dark moment for freedom of speech."

The letter declared, "We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country."

Rosie O’Donnell commented on Kimmel’s post, "kill it tonight - feel all the love," while fans praised him for "standing strong and not compromising."

Disney reversed the suspension Monday, announcing Kimmel’s return on Tuesday.

However, Sinclair, operating nearly 40 ABC stations, refused to air the show, opting for local news instead.

Sinclair’s Vice Chairman Jason Smith stated, "Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country. We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities."

Sinclair demanded an apology to Kirk’s family and a donation to Turning Point USA.

Sources indicate Kimmel will address the controversy in his monologue but won’t apologize.

Kimmel’s defiance, cloaked in a nostalgic nod to Lear, signals no retreat.

The left cheers his resilience, but Sinclair’s boycott and conservative outrage reveal a nation fractured.