After an “indefinite” suspension, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned Tuesday night to staggering numbers: 6.3 million viewers tuned in, according to preliminary Nielsen data reported by NBC News. That’s nearly four times the show’s typical audience of 1.6 million — and the most-watched regularly scheduled episode in its history, per Variety.
For context, the only episodes to ever top Tuesday’s viewership were special Sunday editions that followed the 2006 Super Bowl and the 2014 Oscars, Variety notes.
The surge in viewership came despite the show being blocked from nearly a quarter of U.S. households — including the Salt Lake City market. Affiliates Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Sinclair have yet to resume airing Kimmel’s program. Nexstar said in a statement it would replace the show in its ABC-affiliated markets, citing “strong objections” to comments Kimmel made in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as Deseret News previously reported.
Disney, which owns ABC, confirmed that 23% of American households did not have access to view Tuesday’s broadcast.
Even with that gap, the show still made an impact. Tuesday’s broadcast drew a 343% increase over Kimmel’s last season average of 1.4 million viewers, according to Variety. Among adults 18-49, the show earned a 0.87 rating, up 568% from the previous season’s 0.13.
Online, Kimmel’s opening monologue racked up more than 26 million views across YouTube and other social platforms. By Thursday afternoon, the episode had climbed past 20 million views on YouTube alone.
The show’s suspension came after ABC executives deemed Kimmel’s earlier remarks “ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
Disney said in a statement Monday, “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Kimmel himself addressed the controversy head-on in his opening minutes, saying, “You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
At the same time, he defended free speech. “This show is not important,” Kimmel said. “What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
What is next for ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
As for what comes next, both Nexstar and Sinclair are in discussions with ABC as they evaluate the show’s potential return to their networks.
“We are engaged in productive discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company, with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve,” Nexstar said in a statement, as reported by CNBC.
Sinclair issued a similar statement: “Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”
The question remains whether Tuesday night’s massive audience was a one-time ratings spike or the start of a new era for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”