“I’m not ready, but relief and joy across the board,” shared the staff of Jimmy Kimmel’s show in the moment Disney and ABC announced its return. For nearly 200 people who had faced the looming threat of unemployment if the show were canceled and Jimmy dismissed, it was a wave of pure happiness. Now, gathered once again at the ABC studio, they are prepared for another 12-hour marathon shift — with a surprise celebration planned for their boss!

NEED TO KNOW

A Jimmy Kimmel Live! staffer is sharing how the show’s employees learned that host Jimmy Kimmel will return to airwaves on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

“We are back to work tomorrow,” the employee tells PEOPLE.

The show’s staff learned the news at the same time the Walt Disney Company announced Kimmel’s return on Monday. Sept. 22.

“We received an email from the executive producer with the good news,” the staffer reveals.

However, the person notes that the wording of the message the staff received was “different” than Disney’s official statement.

“It was short and to the point. Just sharing the good news and telling us to come to work tomorrow,” the staffer says.

Disney’s statement to the public read: “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. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”

The company was referring to comments Kimmel made on Sept. 15 about the assassination of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.

The statement continued, “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”

The Kimmel staffer says they were surprised by Monday’s announcement, believing that the behind-the-scenes back and forth between Kimmel and Disney was not close to a conclusion.

“Relief and joy across the board,” is how the person characterized the staff’s reaction to the news.

“Myself and my colleagues are overjoyed,” they added. “Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s monologue.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live! will tape daily in L.A. from Tuesday, Sept. 23 until Friday, Sept. 26, before heading to Brooklyn next week, the staffer added.

A Brooklyn native, Kimmel, 57, has occasionally decamped in his hometown over the years to record a short series of episodes.

Kimmel employees had been left in limbo when the show was “indefinitely” shelved.

ABC and Disney put Jimmy Kimmel Live! on hiatus after broadcast companies Nexstar and Sinclair condemned the late-night host for his comments about Kirk and pulled his show from ABC affiliates across the country.

The right-wing commentator, who founded Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while at a speaking event at Utah Valley University. He was 31.

Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with Kirk’s death.

The decision to pull the show came “shortly before showtime” on Sept. 17, two days after Kimmel’s on-air comments about Kirk, the staffer previously told PEOPLE.

“It was very quick and very shocking. It was a big shock to everybody,” they added, explaining that following the announcement, there was a meeting for the staff.

“We don’t know anything,” the employee said at the time. “We’re all on standby.”

“Jimmy and the producers have had to keep this close to the vest,” the staffer continued, adding that there was “nothing” by way of communication from the network. “We’re just hoping that we’re gonna hear something soon and hopefully it’s good.”

“I’m not ready to admit that it’s over,” they shared.