Jimmy Kimmel has roared back to American late-night television in record-breaking style, pulling in 6.3 million viewers for his first Jimmy Kimmel Live! since suspension – more than four times his usual audience.
The numbers, released by Disney and Nielsen, are extraordinary considering that nearly one-quarter of US households couldn’t even watch the broadcast on traditional TV. Affiliate giants Nexstar and Sinclair refused to air Tuesday night’s episode, blacking it out across 23% of the country after pressure from political circles and the Federal Communications Commission.
Even with those limitations, Kimmel’s return has set a decade-long high for the show in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic, marking its biggest episode in over 10 years.
Kimmel’s comeback wasn’t a normal late-night outing. The host delivered a 28-minute monologue that was part comedy, part defence, and part cultural statement, addressing both his suspension and the backlash that followed.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel told viewers, referencing the controversy that saw him sidelined for comments on conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
But he didn’t shy away from taking aim at Trump, who had publicly pressured ABC to cancel him. “He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show,” Kimmel quipped. “Backfired bigly.”
The speech has gone beyond television. On YouTube alone, Kimmel’s monologue has racked up more than 17 million views, with a further 11 million streams across social media platforms. Disney confirmed the clip was being viewed at a pace of more than a million hits per hour at its peak. The result has made it the most-watched Kimmel monologue in history, surpassing his emotional 2017 speech about his son Billy’s heart condition.
The refusal of Nexstar and Sinclair to air Tuesday’s episode highlights the ongoing tension between Disney and local broadcasters. Nexstar has said it is “continuing to evaluate” the program’s future and is in “productive discussions” with Disney. Sinclair issued a similar statement, confirming its stations are still blacking out Jimmy Kimmel Live! while talks continue.
Despite those hurdles, Disney is standing firm. The company has pointed to Nielsen data showing that curiosity from blacked-out markets helped drive record streaming numbers, as viewers went straight to YouTube and ABC’s platforms to watch the monologue.
Never far from the fray, Trump unleashed his own response on Truth Social, blasting ABC for reinstating Kimmel. “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote. “His audience is GONE, his ‘talent’ was never there … Why would they want someone back who does so poorly?”
Trump also hinted at legal action, calling Kimmel’s show “another arm of the DNC” and suggesting it could be an illegal campaign contribution. He has a track record of pursuing lawsuits against media companies, with ABC News paying him a $15 million settlement last year over a defamation case, and CBS handing over $16 million in a separate dispute.
Kimmel’s ratings surge is a rare bright spot in a late-night landscape where overall viewership has been steadily declining. Even at its peak, his 6.3 million viewers still trailed Stephen Colbert, but it placed him firmly ahead of most rivals in the genre.
The question now is whether this spike represents a one-off curiosity or the start of a new chapter for Jimmy Kimmel Live! The show’s future remains clouded by affiliate boycotts and Trump’s threats of further action, but the numbers suggest audiences are rallying behind Kimmel – or at the very least, eager to see him push back.
For Kimmel, the message of his return was clear: attempts to silence him have only made his voice louder.
Previous story Jimmy Kimmel Returns To Late Night And Says Freedom of Speech Is Not Negotiable
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