Jimmy Kimmel Hits Decade-High Ratings On Return After Suspension

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel achieved his highest viewership in a decade upon returning to television.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel garnered his largest audience in ten years when he made his comeback to US television screens one week after pressure from Donald Trump's administration forced him off the air, Disney announced Wednesday.

The comedian was temporarily removed from Disney's ABC network after officials threatened to revoke broadcast licenses, allegedly due to remarks Kimmel made following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

However, after public outrage and objections from typically loyal Trump supporters who viewed this as a governmental attempt to suppress free speech, the suspension was lifted and Kimmel returned to broadcasting Tuesday, delivering a scathing monologue against censorship.

"A government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti-American," Kimmel told his audience.

"The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke."

Preliminary data revealed that more than six million viewers watched the broadcast, even though the show remained inaccessible to almost a quarter of American households due to a boycott by local TV station owners, according to Disney.

For comparison, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" averaged 1.42 million viewers throughout its complete 2024/2025 season — indicating that Tuesday's audience more than tripled the show's typical viewership.

Disney noted this was the show's strongest performance in a decade. An additional 26 million people watched Tuesday's monologue on social media platforms, the company reported.

Trump, who regularly complains about negative media coverage and often directs harsh criticism at Kimmel and other late-night comedians, had previously celebrated when Kimmel was taken off air, calling it "Great news for America."

Prior to the show's return, Trump told reporters that Kimmel had "no talent... he had no ratings."

"Well," Kimmel retorted on Tuesday night's show, "I do tonight."

"He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly," he added to enthusiastic studio applause.