Jimmy Kimmel's return to late-night television following a suspension over remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk saw his ratings triple, drawing 6.26 million viewers to ABC on Monday. The episode, which was still pre-empted in 23 percent of the country, marked Kimmel's largest audience in over a decade, compared to his typical 1.8 million viewers.
The network noted that Kimmel's emotional 20-minute monologue has been viewed over 25 million times on social media, with over 15 million views on YouTube alone—a record for the programme. Among adults under 50, the episode was Kimmel's most-watched since a March 2015 show following the Academy Awards.
Despite the ratings success, a spokesman for Nexstar said Wednesday that Kimmel will continue to be pre-empted from its stations while the company evaluates the show. Together, Nexstar and Sinclair groups account for about a quarter of ABC's affiliates, many in smaller cities. Nexstar stated it is engaged in productive discussions with Disney, focusing on ensuring the programme respects the diverse interests of the communities it serves.
In his monologue, Kimmel claimed he never intended to make light of Kirk's murder and lashed out at President Donald Trump over censorship. He received a standing ovation as he told his audience that a government threat to silence a comedian is anti-American. Kimmel acknowledged his employer was taking a risk by putting him back on air, noting that Trump had made it clear he wanted Kimmel and his staff fired.
Kimmel broke down when discussing the assassination but did not apologise. He singled out FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, calling his conduct un-American and a violation of the First Amendment. He also thanked supporters, including Senator Ted Cruz, for standing up for his right to speak.
