Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings have reportedly dropped a significant amount after his return episode following his suspension. The late-night host was suspended for six days
Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s ratings dropped from his comeback episode(Image: Disney via Getty Images)
Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings reportedly took a nosedive following his triumphant return from suspension.
The comedian made his television comeback on Tuesday, September 23, after Disney announced his return the previous day (September 22). His return to the small screen saw record-breaking viewership for the late-night host, with 6.26 million viewers tuning in despite Jimmy Kimmel Live! not being broadcast in nearly 23% of U.S. TV households at the time.
Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which own ABC Television affiliates, didn’t join Disney in bringing Jimmy back on air for the September 23rd return. The media groups continued their boycott of Jimmy until they announced on Friday, September 26, that they would reinstate his show.
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From that episode, Jimmy’s opening monologue alone racked up more than 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms, reports the Mirror US.
Jimmy Kimmel’s episode back from his suspension drew 6.26 million viewers (Image: Disney via Getty Images)
Fox News reported that by Thursday of that week, the show’s viewership had plummeted to an average of 2.3 million viewers, marking a 64 percent drop. The outlet did not disclose where they sourced the rating numbers from.
Prior to the brief suspension, Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged about 1.77 million viewers during the second quarter of this year, according to The Independent.
Jimmy’s late-night show was put on hold following comments he made about Charlie Kirk and the right-wing commentator’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson.
“We had 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,” Jimmy said on his show on, Monday September 15.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr expressed outrage about Jimmy’s comments from his September 15 broadcast, labeling them “truly sick” during a podcast appearance on Wednesday, September 17. He additionally urged broadcasters to take measures against Jimmy.
In response to his criticism, Nexstar and Sinclair announced they would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! before ABC ultimately suspended him.
Jimmy is currently filming in Brooklyn and one of his show’s guests was Stephen Colbert(Image: Jimmy Kimmel Live/Youtube)
Since Jimmy returned to the air, his program has been filming in Brooklyn, New York.
This marks his seventh time hosting at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Jimmy kicked off his Brooklyn week on Monday, September 29, and it will wrap up on Friday, October 3.
Jimmy recently welcomed fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert to his Brooklyn program on Tuesday, September 30. Throughout the episode, the father-of-four disclosed his whereabouts when he discovered news of Stephen’s late-night show cancellation.
Jimmy revealed that he was attending a No Kings protest with his family. The No Kings protests were demonstration against Donald Trump that occurred across the U.S. on his birthday, June 14.
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