After being suspended for over a week, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned to television on Tuesday night. The show was temporarily removed from the air by the Disney-owned ABC after host Jimmy Kimmel made controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Despite the suspension, Nielsen reported that the program achieved its highest viewership in the past decade.
The late-night show generated 6.26 million total viewers on Tuesday, according to data shared by Disney. This marked a significant increase compared to its average of 1.42 million during the 2024-2025 season. The pre-recorded episode faced preemptions in 23% of U.S. TV households, yet Kimmel’s monologue—lasting over 28 minutes—gained more than 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms.
Kimmel addressed his suspension during the show, stating, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” while also joking, “Backfired bigly.” Local station owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair preempted the episode, impacting nearly 25% of the country. Nexstar later announced it was still evaluating whether to air the show on its ABC-affiliate stations, citing ongoing discussions with Disney about aligning the program with community interests.