India, Sept. 24 -- Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television on Tuesday, less than a week after being suspended over controversial remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel took the stage to thunderous applause and chants of his name before beginning his monologue. With a wink to late-night tradition, he opened with the line, "As I was saying before I was interrupted."

He then joked about preempting Celebrity Family Feud to get back on the air and gave shout-outs to fellow talk show hosts including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, and Jay Leno.

But the mood quickly shifted as Kimmel addressed the controversy directly, turning emotional as he clarified his intentions.

"You understand ...