Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to air Tuesday night, drawing 6.26 million viewers, Disney has announced.<\/p>\n
Despite not being aired in roughly 23 per cent of US TV households, the audience far exceeded the show\u2019s recent average of 1.42 million during the 2024-2025 season.<\/p>\n
This show marked the first time Kimmel publicly addressed his suspension after controversial comments he made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the reaction from US President Donald Trump\u2019s MAGA supporters.<\/p>\n
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By continuing you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,\u201d Kimmel said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything funny about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s over 28-minute monologue alone has been viewed more than 26 million times across YouTube and social media, according to Disney. The episode also earned its highest rating in over a decade among adults aged 18 to 49.<\/p>\n Kimmel joked during his monologue, \u201c(Trump) tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. Backfired bigly.\u201d<\/p>\n Local station groups Nexstar Media and Sinclair chose to preempt the show in many markets due to concerns over Kimmel\u2019s remarks amid ongoing tensions with the Federal Communications Commission.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Nexstar said it was \u201ccontinuing to evaluate\u201d the show\u2019s status and remains in \u201cproductive discussions\u201d with Disney. Sinclair stated that it is evaluating the potential return of the show as discussions with ABC continue.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s decision to cut short Kimmel\u2019s exile marked a high-profile act of corporate defiance in the face of Trump\u2019s escalating crackdown on perceived enemies in the media through litigation and regulatory threats.<\/p>\n Disney was also under pressure from Kimmel\u2019s fans, some of whom were cancelling subscriptions to the company\u2019s streaming services Disney+ and Hulu. Kimmel alluded to that in his monologue, joking the company had asked him to read some remarks on the air.<\/p>\n \u201cTo reactivate your Disney+ and Hulu account, open the Disney+ app on your smart TV or TV-connected device,\u201d he read. Kimmel defended political satire against \u201cbullying\u201d from Trump and officials in his administration.<\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s voice choked with emotion, moments after he took the stage to a standing ovation, and he said: \u201cIt was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything funny about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, Kimmel said Trump\u2019s supporters were eager to characterise Kirk\u2019s assassin \u201cas anything other than one of them\u201d and accused them of trying to \u201cscore political points\u201d from Kirk\u2019s killing.<\/p>\n Before Tuesday\u2019s broadcast, Trump said on his Truth Social online platform that he \u201ccan\u2019t believe\u201d ABC gave Kimmel back his show, and hinted at further action against the network.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s post called Kimmel \u201cyet another arm\u201d of the Democratic National Committee, and characterised the comedian\u2019s jokes about the Republican administration as \u201ca major illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we\u2019re going to test ABC out on this.\u201d<\/p>\n Previously, Trump had said Kimmel was fired for \u201cbad ratings.\u201d<\/p>\n The late-night format has been struggling for years, as more viewers have abandoned cable television and migrated to streaming. Younger viewers, in particular, are more apt to find amusement on YouTube or TikTok, leaving smaller audiences and declining ad revenues for traditional TV.<\/p>\n Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair both opted on Tuesday to keep \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live\u201d off their combined 70 owned and operated ABC stations, which account for about 23 per cent of US households. That meant the show was not seen over the air in places like Seattle; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville and New Orleans, among other markets. It also did not air in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n Nexstar said it is continuing to evaluate the status of the show, which it will continue to pre-empt on its ABC-affiliated local television stations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to air Tuesday night, drawing 6.26 million viewers, Disney has announced. 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