Jimmy Kimmel breaks records with 6.26 million viewers as late-night show returns to TV, calls Trump ‘anti-American’
Jimmy Kimmel Live! logged its highest-ever viewership, 6.26 million, as the host returned to air following ABC's suspension of the programme. This figure far exceeds the show's usual 1.55 million viewers this year, according to Nielsen data.
Jimmy Kimmel's return to host his flagship late-night show turned out to be his biggest ever, with millions of people viewing it on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! logged its highest-ever viewers at 6.26 million as the host returned to air following the suspension of the programme by ABC. That figure is significantly higher than the show's usual 1.55 million viewers this year, according to Nielsen data.
ABC had suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17 following the host's comments made two days earlier regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue was viewed more than 26 million times on YouTube and social media services.
Jimmy Kimmel returns
In his opening remarks, Jimmy Kimmel was supportive of Disney in general. However, he was critical of the decision to suspend him made by Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger and Dana Walden, the co-chair of Disney’s entertainment division.
Kimmel criticised Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who had called on station owners to take the programme off the air last week.
"A government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti-American," Kimmel told viewers.
“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.”
US President Donald Trump had earlier criticised the move to bring back the show on air, calling ABC a “fake news” channel.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to insult Kimmel and accuse broadcaster ABC of “playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
The 79-year-old Republican added, “I think we're going to test ABC out on this. Let's see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million dollars.”
The numbers don’t include viewers who watched the programme on streaming services. The total was particularly high considering that Nexstar Media Group Inc and Sinclair Inc, two large owners of ABC affiliates, chose not to air the show. Together, they reach about 23% of US households.
Late-night talk show hosts have lost viewers for the most part, as audiences shift to streaming services and social media. Kimmel’s ratings this year are down about 37% from a decade ago, according to Nielsen data.