Sarah McLachlan — who, in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension by ABC, canceled a performance for Disney’s new Lilith Fair documentary over concerns about the “muzzling of free speech” — will be the first musical guest on the comedian’s show as he returns to the airwaves.
The network announced that the “Sweet Surrender” singer will perform on Kimmel’s show on Tuesday. “Chad Powers” actor Glen Powell will be Kimmel’s guest on his first show back after ABC sidelined the late-night show host “indefinitely” following comments he made last week after the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During an opening monologue of his show, Kimmel accused conservatives of trying to score “political points” off of the assassination of Kirk. He also said President Trump was grieving the Turning Point USA co-founder’s death “like a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, announced Monday it was reinstating Kimmel.
At a Los Angeles premiere of the ABC News documentary “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery” on Sunday, the music festival’s founder said she was declining to perform as planned so she could “stand in solidarity in support of free speech.”
Without naming Kimmel, McLachlan said, “I’ve grappled with being here tonight and around what to say about the present situation that we are all faced with — the stark contraction to the many advances we’ve made watching the insidious erosion of women’s rights, of trans and queer rights, the muzzling of free speech.”
“I think we’re all fearful for what comes next, and none of us know,” McLachlan said, according to a video posted on social media of her remarks.
“But what I do know is I have to keep pushing through, as an artist, as a woman, to find a way through,” she said.
