"Thank you, Donald Trump" - Internet reacts to the return of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ drawing 6.26M viewers, making it the most-watched episode

Jimmy Kimmel's first episode following his nearly week-long suspension brought the show its highest ratings, drawing in a record 6.26 million viewers despite it not airing in select cities across the United States. Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the airwaves on September 23, 2025, six days after ABC suspended production on September 17 following the backlash for Kimmel's remarks regarding Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin.

Despite Disney and ABC announcing that the late-night show would return on September 23, media conglomerates Nexstar and Sinclair refused to telecast the show on their ABC affiliates. According to the BBC, this resulted in over a quarter of ABC stations across the United States not airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday.

This setback did not stop Kimmel's show from gaining record viewership, with Disney stating that over 6.26 million people tuned in to watch the episode on television, making it the show's most-watched regularly scheduled episode ever.

Additionally, Kimmel's 28-minute-long opening monologue has garnered over 26 million views on social media, which does not include streaming numbers, according to data collated by Nielsen.

According to Variety, Kimmel himself addressed his strong viewership during his opening monologue, hitting back at President Donald Trump and other conservatives who had claimed that the show had "no ratings.”

“Well, I do tonight! You almost have to feel sorry for [Trump]. He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now,” he said.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s record viewership received varied reactions from netizens on X, with one user writing:

"Thank you, Donald Trump."

Several users seemed excited about the viewership numbers, adding that Disney might never cancel the show again.

However, others seemed skeptical, claiming that the high rating was due to the controversy and wouldn't last for more than a week.

Nexstar and Sinclair continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! amid talks with Disney and ABC

Media conglomerates Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group have announced that they will continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their ABC affiliates across the nation. According to CNBC, both companies own nearly 70 ABC affiliates in total, resulting in Kimmel's return not being broadcast to 23% of US households.

For the unversed, the controversy originated after Kimmel's monologue, which aired as part of the September 15 episode. In his monologue, the late-night host referenced Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter, saying:

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

Following this, the FFC's chairman, Brendan Carr, suggested that ABC suspend the show during a podcast appearance on September 17, saying, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Nexstar and Sinclair immediately followed suit, announcing their decision to preempt the show across their ABC affiliates, resulting in ABC and Disney suspending the show's production indefinitely.

Despite ABC announcing the show's return, both media companies continue to preempt the show amid discussions with The Walt Disney Company and ABC. On September 22, Sinclair released a statement on social media, writing:

"Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return."

Meanwhile, Nexstar reiterated its stance to keep Jimmy Kimmel Live! off its ABC affiliates despite the show's record-high ratings following its return to television, The New York Post reported. On September 24, 2025, the company put out a public statement announcing its decision, which read:

“Nexstar is continuing to evaluate the status of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on our ABC-affiliated local television stations, and the show will be preempted while we do so. 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.”

Jimmy Kimmel addressed the controversy in his monologue

During the September 23 episode, Jimmy Kimmel's 28-minute monologue included some digs at the president, calls for free speech, and gratitude for all the support he received. The talk show host also addressed his comments that landed him in controversy and resulted in the suspension of his show.

According to AP News, Kimmel appeared visibly emotional as he spoke about Charlie Kirk's death, clarifying that it was not his intention "to make light of the murder of a young man." Furthermore, he also explained that it was not his intention to blame any particular group for Kirk's murder, saying:

“Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what, it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. 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."

Additionally, Jimmy Kimmel spoke about Erika Kirk's speech at her husband's memorial service held last Sunday (September 21), where she publicly forgave his killer. Kimmel added that he was touched by what he described as "a selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow."

Jimmy Kimmel's comeback monologue currently has over 19 million views on YouTube.

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With a strong love for the English language cultivated from a childhood filled with reading, Juhi aims to take her readers on a literary journey with every word she writes.

When she's not busy putting her pen to paper, Juhi can be found indulging in her hobbies, such as embroidering and crocheting, while binge-watching TV shows.

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Edited by Juhi Marzia