When Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on Tuesday, he opened by saying all eyes were on him. He wasn’t wrong — 6.3 million viewers tuned in, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings.
The number does not yet include streaming figures.
That audience was more than three times the normal viewership for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” On YouTube, Kimmel’s monologue was his most-watched from the show’s 23-year run. As of Thursday morning, the clip had nearly 20 million views.
Some of his other most-watched monologues on the platform included a tribute to Kobe Bryant and one in which he detailed his son’s health complications.
Affiliate boycott dampens the numbers
The Nielsen figures are expected to rise as more data comes in, but the show hit those numbers even though more than 20% of ABC affiliates boycotted Kimmel’s return.
Broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair preempted the program following ABC’s initial decision to suspend it. In a statement to SAN, Nexstar said it was “continuing to evaluate the status of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’” and holding “productive discussions” with Disney. Sinclair also said it would continue to preempt the show.
Rogan, Trump weigh in
Kimmel’s return also stirred commentary from big names. On the day of the comeback, Joe Rogan used his podcast to criticize celebrations over the suspension.
“I definitely don’t think that the government should be involved, ever, in dictating what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue,” Rogan said. “That’s crazy.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that ABC had informed the White House that the show was cancelled. “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” he wrote. He even referenced a past $15 million settlement between the network and him, stemming from comments made by George Stephanopoulos.
Kimmel responds in monologue
Kimmel himself leaned into Trump’s comments during his second monologue since his return.
“There’s the threat again, this time straight from FCC-biscuit’s mouth,” he joked on Wednesday night. “Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC.”
Despite the turmoil, Kimmel received strong support from fellow entertainers. Stephen Colbert praised him on “The Late Show,” saying, “I’m glad Kimmel’s back. He’s a wonderful fella. To know him well is to admire him immensely, even if he takes the whole summer off.”
Just hours before Kimmel’s reinstatement, the ACLU released a letter signed by more than 400 celebrities, including Meryl Streep, Selena Gomez and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The letter condemned “government threats to freedom of speech.”
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