After a tense week off the air, Jimmy Kimmel made a highly publicized comeback to ABC with Jimmy Kimmel Live!, drawing a massive audience eager to see the late-night host back in action.
On Tuesday, the show captured a record-breaking 6.5 million viewers, roughly three times its typical nightly audience—a viewership spike not seen in over a decade.
The ratings bonanza followed Kimmel’s five-day suspension, which stemmed from his controversial remarks about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
His return initially seemed to vindicate the network’s decision to bring him back.
Numbers Drop Sharply by Midweek
Despite the strong debut, Kimmel’s ratings plummeted just days later.
By Thursday, viewership had fallen to 2.3 million, a 64 percent drop from the opening episode, according to Fox News.
The decline was particularly notable among adults aged 25-54, the key demographic for advertisers, where the audience shrank 73 percent to just 465,000.
For context, Kimmel’s program usually attracts around 1.8 million viewers nightly.
ABC’s reported numbers do not factor in streaming platform audiences, meaning the full picture may be slightly larger.
Affiliate Blackouts Extend the Controversy
While Kimmel returned to ABC on Tuesday, local broadcasts were delayed for several days.
Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group only resumed airing the show on Friday, ending a blackout that left dozens of U.S. cities without access to the program.
The suspension and blackout stemmed from Kimmel’s earlier claim that Kirk’s assassin was a Trump supporter.
Prosecutors later clarified that the killer was actually a liberal, enraged by Kirk’s conservative and Christian viewpoints.
Emotional Monologue Addresses Backlash
On his first night back, Kimmel delivered a tearful 20-minute monologue, stressing that he “never intended to make light of” Kirk’s death.
He also criticized former President Donald Trump, accusing him of encouraging censorship and threatening the livelihoods of those at ABC.
“Unfortunately, and I think unjustly, this puts them at risk,” Kimmel said, noting the president had made clear he wanted Kimmel and the staff fired over the incident.
“Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke.”
No Formal Apology but Clarification Offered
Kimmel admitted that his comments had drawn intense criticism but maintained he was not joking about the assassination.
“I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear… it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said, his voice breaking during the monologue.
Criticism of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
Kimmel also targeted FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, labeling his threats against late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, as both “un-American” and legally questionable.
He called the threats “a direct violation of the First Amendment” and criticized their intelligence.
Despite the week’s turbulence, Kimmel’s return demonstrated the pull of his late-night brand—even as controversy and backlash continue to swirl around his remarks.