Jimmy Kimmel Live! Sees “Higher Than Average” Ratings Following Suspension
on Sep 26, 2025
Jimmy Kimmel Suspended Following Comments Surrounding Charlie Kirk’s Death
Nexstar Media Group, which owns America’s largest television broadcasting group, announced on September 17 that it would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC channels following “insensitive” comments he made surrounding the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” Nexstar’s broadcasting chief Andrew Alford said in a press release.
In a statement on Monday (September 22), Disney revealed plans to bring the show back to the ABC broadcast network beginning Tuesday (September 23).
“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,” Disney said in the statement. “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.”
Nextar Media Group, Inc. announced that it would continue preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! despite Disney allowing the show to return to air.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Return Draws Record Viewership
The show made its return Tuesday night (September 23), pulling in an impressive 6.26 million viewers, even with preemptions affecting 23% of households, according to Nielsen data from Disney.
During the 2024-2025 season, Kimmel’s average viewership was around 1.42 million.
Kimmel opened his monologue with some light-hearted jokes about his suspension, but soon shifted to a more serious tone as he addressed his recent comments regarding Kirk’s murder.
“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,” Kimmel said, holding back emotion.
He added that it wasn’t his “intention to blame any specific group for the actions 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.”
Watch Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional comments during his return.
