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Well, folks, it seems Jimmy Kimmel's return to the airwaves was less a triumphant comeback and more a fleeting blip. After a suspension from ABC for his inflammatory comments, Jimmy Kimmel Live! briefly spiked in viewership, only to nosedive faster than Biden on a bike. According to the numbers, Kimmel's Thursday show pulled in just 2.3 million viewers, a jaw-dropping 64% drop from the 6.5 million who tuned in for his emotional, crocodile teary Tuesday return.
The trouble started when Kimmel, never shy about his left-leaning views, falsely tied Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, to the "MAGA gang."
Kimmel's exact words: "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." Problem is Kimmel was full of crap as reports and the subsequent indictment confirmed Robinson's left-wing ideology, not MAGA allegiance.
The backlash was swift. Nexstar and Sinclair pulled Kimmel's show from their 390 TV stations, and the FCC took a hard look. Disney, initially feeling the heat, benched Jimmy Kimmel Live! but they chickened out and the ban lasted for less than a week.
The backlash was swift. Nexstar and Sinclair pulled Kimmel's show from their 390 TV stations, and the FCC took a hard look. Disney, initially feeling the heat, benched Jimmy Kimmel Live! but they chickened out and the ban lasted for less than a week.
Kimmel returned on September 23, 2025, with a passionate apology-free monologue that drew a crowd, 6.5 million strong. But the interest in the dweeb didn't last. By Thursday, viewership cratered, especially in the advertiser-cherished 25-54 demographic, where Kimmel lost 73% of his Tuesday audience, plummeting from 1.7 million to a measly 465,000. The younger 18-49 demo was a;lso down 73%, from 1.2 million to just 334,000.
This isn't a new trend for Kimmel, (who is also known for wearing blackface on national TV). His show has been bleeding viewers for a decade, dropping from 2.4 million in 2015 to a measly 1.6 million average in 2025, a 37% slide. Compare that to his glory days, and it's clear the late-night host's shtick isn't resonating like it used to.
Kimmel's refusal to fully apologize didn't help. Charlie Kirk's supporters, still mourning and reeling from his assassination at a Turning Point USA event on September 10, 2025, weren't buying the non-contrition. Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesman, said: "Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils."
Sinclair Broadcast Group, via America Reports, signaled Kimmel’s return to their ABC stations after “thoughtful feedback,” but the damage was done. Nexstar and Sinclair only resumed airing the show on "Friday, and viewers clearly aren't rushing back. Kimmel's brief suspension might have been a wake-up call, but it seems his audience is hitting the snooze button.
This isn't a new trend for Kimmel, (who is also known for wearing blackface on national TV). His show has been bleeding viewers for a decade, dropping from 2.4 million in 2015 to a measly 1.6 million average in 2025, a 37% slide. Compare that to his glory days, and it's clear the late-night host's shtick isn't resonating like it used to.
Kimmel's refusal to fully apologize didn't help. Charlie Kirk's supporters, still mourning and reeling from his assassination at a Turning Point USA event on September 10, 2025, weren't buying the non-contrition. Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesman, said: "Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils."
Sinclair Broadcast Group, via America Reports, signaled Kimmel’s return to their ABC stations after “thoughtful feedback,” but the damage was done. Nexstar and Sinclair only resumed airing the show on "Friday, and viewers clearly aren't rushing back. Kimmel's brief suspension might have been a wake-up call, but it seems his audience is hitting the snooze button.
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