Bill O’Reilly said Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel “isn’t evil” and that he’s “sad” the comedian’s talk show got suspended in remarks tempered by a scolding. (Watch the video below.)

“I have something to say about this because I know Jimmy Kimmel a little bit,” he told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo. “When I went on his program when I was at Fox News, I had a good rapport with him. We had a lot of laughs. He was a gentleman.”

“But then when Trump got power, he changed,” O’Reilly continued. “Mr. Kimmel changed into more of a bitter comedian, and I noticed it. I admire Jimmy Kimmel because of the travails of his young son, which he doesn’t publicize much, but he is a hero dad. So when I saw this today, I was sad. I didn’t celebrate it like some people did. I don’t like people losing their jobs. But what Kimmel did is inexplicable to me.”

O’Reilly delved into the Charlie Kirk remarks Kimmel made Monday that led to threats by the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission and network affiliate groups before ABC pulled the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” until further notice.

Kimmel said on his show: “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 doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

“He had to know on Monday in his dialogue how raw the country was over this assassination of Charlie Kirk,” O’Reilly said. “He had to know that. And to use his monologue, which is usually comedic, to mislead the entire country by implying that MAGA Trump supporters were really behind the murder, to do that. … You have a producer on your program. Did no one red-flag you on this? Did no one say anything about this?”

Echoing some conservative reaction, the “No Spin News” host and author said, “This isn’t about censorship. This is about responsibility.”

He called the comedian’s words “defamatory and outrageous.”

Trump has celebrated the suspension but critics have called the move a blatant suppression of free speech.

Comedian Wanda Sykes, who was to appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” before its cancellation, said of the president: “So, let’s see, he didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week but he did end freedom of speech within his first year. Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.”