“As I Was Saying…” Jimmy Kimmel’s Comeback Sees Huge Viewership Boost

Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television to cheers and skyrocketing viewership less than a week after ABC preempted his show indefinitely.

His nearly 30-minute opening monologue quickly amassed views on YouTube and Instagram, being seen over 20 million times and counting. CNN analyst Harry Enten expects this attempted “cancellation” to have the opposite effect for Jimmy Kimmel Live! 

Kimmel even boasted the expected influx of viewers in his monologue, playing a clip of President Donald Trump calling him a “whack job” who has “no ratings.”

“Well, I do tonight!” he proclaimed.

In fact, early ratings reports show he had an estimated 6.26 million viewers. That’s a huge increase from the approximate average 1.77 million.

And that’s despite broadcast giants Sinclair and Nexstar deciding to continue to opt out of airing his show. Those two stations own around 70 ABC-affiliates across the country, reaching about 23% of households. 

ABC made the decision to replace the show after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called for Kimmel’s suspension over comments made on air about assassinated Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The decision was met with protests, from Disney+ users unsubscribing, to fellow entertainers co-signing in support a letter from the ACLU, to folks in Hollywood marching at Disney studios. 

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel had said on September 15. 

He also poked fun at President Trump, saying he’s holding up “very well” when asked about Kirk, and redirecting reporters to the new ballroom being built in the White House. “This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel commented.

In his September 23 return, Kimmel made clear the aim of his comment. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t, I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” he said, some seriousness amongst the satire, occasionally fighting back tears. “(…) Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what … was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”

And while Kimmel’s return won’t solve problems across party lines, the cancellation of his show did more to bring America together than it did divide. The host took a moment to thank supporters and fellow late-night hosts, but also acknowledged those who may dislike and disagree with what he says, but who “support my right to share those beliefs.”

However, while keeping Kimmel’s usual self-deprecating, sarcastic jokes and deadpan delivery, the episode was marked by a heaviness.

His observational humor no longer takes audiences away from what is being joked about; instead, it forces them to confront societal happenings. Comedy, while an escape and critique, is also a coping mechanism. All three are prevalent in his comeback.

“I’m not sure who had a weirder 48 hours: me or the CEO of Tylenol,” he joked.

Twisters star Glen Powell joined Kimmel to discuss his leading role in the upcoming comedy series Chad Powers, and Sarah McLachlan was the musical guest.  She performed a song from her new album, “Better Broken.”

Kimmel’s triumphant return to late-night television, hopefully, comes without limitations.

“Jimmy will say what Jimmy wants to say,” one unnamed source told Deadline after a deal was reached between Kimmel’s team and Disney.

Before the show aired, President Trump took to TruthSocial with a legal threat against ABC, saying of Kimmel: “He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this.”

Nexstar says it is continuing to evaluate the status of Jimmy Kimmel Live for its ABC affiliate stations after the show’s return. 

Meanwhile, a Sinclair representative referred CNBC to its statement from Monday, which said the company’s stations would be preempting the show and that “discussions with ABC are ongoing.”

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What did you think of the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and that opening monologue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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