Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw record viewership in its comeback after the late-night show’s host was briefly suspended for controversial comments he made on political influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Over 6 million people across the country tuned in to watch the comedian make his return on Tuesday evening, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings, despite bans major broadcasters left in place on Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
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That number represents the show’s best ratings in nearly a decade, according to ABC. The milestone marks a high for Kimmel after his nearly weeklong suspension, even though the show did not reach nearly a quarter of U.S. households, as Nexstar and Sinclair have yet to lift broadcast suspensions. Millions more viewers watched the show online.
On Tuesday, Kimmel quipped that President Donald Trump’s well-documented ire against the show had fallen flat.
“[Trump] tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show,” the comedian said during his opening monologue. “Backfired bigly.”
He declined to offer a direct apology for the comments on Kirk’s assassination that attracted swift backlash last week. At the time, Kimmel weighed in on the political motivations of the conservative activist’s accused killer, implying he was one of the “MAGA gang,” despite evidence from authorities that the suspect, Tyler Robinson, holds left-wing views.
Kirk’s producer slammed Kimmel over the matter, while the White House weighed in with comments this week.
“I watched it and, look, in some ways, it was kind of kindhearted,” Vice President JD Vance, who was a close friend of Kirk, said during an interview with NewsNation. “On the other hand, he didn’t actually say sorry to Charlie Kirk or his family.”
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Kimmel’s show, like other late-night programs, has struggled in recent years. In 2015, Kimmel averaged 2.4 million total viewers. Now, he typically attracts an average of 1.42 million nightly viewers, ABC said this week.
Kimmel was in a slump this year, which raised questions about the show’s future, as his ABC contract is set to expire next year. Jimmy Kimmel Live! dropped to roughly 1 million total viewers in August 2025, down 43% from January’s 1.95 million, according to monthly Nielsen figures.