Topline
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is quickly earning record viewership for his anticipated first monologue since ABC reinstated his show, racking up more than 8.8 million views in 9 hours, possibly boosted by nearly a third of ABC stations refusing to broadcast his return.
Titled “Jimmy Kimmel Is Back,” the host returned with a nearly 30-minute monologue in which he clarified his remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and took aim at President Donald Trump and the FCC.
Kimmel’s monologue has 8.8 million views as of Wednesday morning, his most-watched video on YouTube since November 2024 when he delivered a monologue addressing Trump’s election victory, which garnered 9.1 million views.
Kimmel’s latest monologue may be earning more viewership than usual on YouTube because broadcasting companies Nexstar and Sinclair, which own nearly a third of all ABC stations nationwide, refused to air Kimmel’s return.
In his monologue, Kimmel acknowledged many major markets wouldn’t air his show, including Washington, D.C., Nashville, New Orleans and St. Louis, where he said his wife’s family would be obstructed from watching the show.
“Sorry Aunt Sharon, sorry Aunt Maureen, you’ll have to go to YouTube, I guess,” Kimmel joked.
Kimmel said Tuesday night it was “never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man…I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” stating he doesn’t think “the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone; this is a sick person who believed violence is a solution, and it isn’t ever.” Kimmel’s comments come a week after he accused the “MAGA gang” of “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” and trying to score political points from Kirk’s death. Also on Tuesday, Kimmel said the United States has “become so authoritarian,” joking even German television offered him a job. Kimmel slammed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for “telling an American company we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” calling his threat a “direct violation of the First Amendment” and slamming Carr as “the most embarrassing car Republicans have embraced since” Tesla’s Cybertruck. Kimmel also jabbed Trump for doing “his best to cancel me,” joking Trump “forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.” After Kimmel’s show was taped, Trump raged about his return on Truth Social, threatening to sue ABC.
Earlier this week, two major television station operators, Nexstar and Sinclair, said they would stand by decisions they made last week to pre-empt Kimmel’s show, refusing to air it after Kimmel sparked controversy for comments he had made about Kirk on his show. Nexstar—which is seeking FCC approval for its acquisition of broadcast company TEGNA—said in a statement Tuesday it would not air Kimmel “pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.” On Monday, Sinclair said it would not air Kimmel while it engaged in talks with ABC to “evaluate the show’s potential return.” ABC had announced Monday it would bring back Kimmel’s show, days after his suspension sparked outrage from Hollywood and drew allegations of free speech suppression. Kimmel’s suspension was celebrated by Carr and Trump.
Fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert similarly faced a spike in YouTube views when he delivered his first monologue since CBS announced his late-night show would be cancelled. The monologue earned 11 million views, marking Colbert’s most-watched video on YouTube in six years. Colbert said on his show the “gloves are off” when it comes to covering Trump, whom he told to “go f— yourself.” CBS cited financial reasons for Colbert’s cancellation, though critics noted his show was axed after CBS settled a lawsuit with Trump, who had sued over what he alleged was a deceptively edited interview with his election opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris. At the time, Paramount, CBS’ parent company, was seeking FCC approval for its merger with Skydance.
Jimmy Kimmel Calls Out FCC Chair And Trump As He Returns To ABC (Forbes)
Trump Calls Jimmy Kimmel ‘Arm Of The DNC’—Signals He May Sue ABC As Comedian Returns To Air (Forbes)