ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew in over six million viewers for his first broadcast on Sept. 23 after his show was suspended over recent comments he made about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's assassination.
The network said 6.26 million people tuned in for Kimmel's return as host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday evening after the show was suspended for six days due to a monologue Kimmel delivered about Kirk's suspected killer that Disney, ABC's parent company, called "ill-timed" and "insensitive."
According to ABC, Kimmel's return marked a 10-year ratings high among adult viewers. The show typically attracts an average of 1.42 million nightly viewers according to the network.
On social media, the show attracted nearly 26 million views, ABC said. That included 15.3 million views on YouTube, and another 6.3 million on Instagram by late Wednesday afternoon.
ABC affiliates in several major markets did not carry the show.
Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair both opted on Tuesday to keep "Jimmy Kimmel Live" off their combined 70 owned and operated ABC stations, which account for about 23 percent of U.S. households. That meant the show was not seen over the air in places like Seattle; Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville and New Orleans, among other markets. It also did not air in Washington.
The late-night show was suspended after Kimmel said last week that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” MAGA stands for President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” policy agenda.
According to FBI disclosures, the suspected shooter in Kirk's assassination, Tyler Robinson, had become more politically involved and favorable to left-wing politics in recent months, including pro-gay and pro-transgender views.
Trump criticized ABC's move to bring Kimmel back on the air, suggesting that the administration may pursue legal action against ABC on the basis of "Illegal Campaign Contribution[s]."
Trump called Kimmel an "arm of the [Democratic National Convention]," saying that Kimmel's apparent favorability toward Democrats could constitute "a major Illegal Campaign Contribution."
"I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do," Trump wrote. "Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative."
Trump was referencing a December 2024 ruling in a defamation lawsuit in which ABC agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit with Trump over anchor George Stephanopoulos's on-air statements.
“I do want to make something clear because it's important to me as a human, and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he told the audience. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
“I meant it, and I still do," Kimmel said about the supportive sentiments he had posted.
"Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual," he said.
“That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way.”
Kimmel also called the president's efforts to get his show taken off the air “un-American.”
“He tried his best to cancel me, instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly,” Kimmel said.