Jimmy Kimmel Live returned on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, and drew 6.26 million broadcast viewers, its biggest regularly scheduled audience in about a decade, plus roughly 26 million views of the opening monologue across YouTube and Instagram. That surge came despite the show being preempted by affiliates covering about 23% of U.S. TV households, directly answering taunts about “bad ratings.” As per the Reuters report dated September 24, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel told viewers in an emotional undertone:
“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.”
Donald Trump posted a strongly worded message on September 24, 2025, against Kimmel's return on Truth Social, stating,
“A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”
On-air, Kimmel also rolled a clip of Trump saying he had “no talent” and “no ratings,” then replied in real time. The show airs at 11:35 p.m. ET, with the full segment available online shortly after broadcast.
What Kimmel said in his return on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and whether he apologized
Jimmy Kimmel Live opened with a calm, direct reset: he clarified intent, expressed sympathy to Charlie Kirk’s family, and defended satire as part of the job. He grew emotional while stating that he did not mean to trivialize a killing and recognized why some viewers felt hurt by the timing.
He also thanked conservatives who criticized him politically but backed his right to speak. Finally, he answered the clip of Trump mocking his “ratings” with a clean line from the stage. While smiling, Jimmy Kimmel said:
"Well, I do tonight!...You almost have to feel sorry for him.”
He received a standing ovation from the studio audience during this segment. The emphasis of the Jimmy Kimmel Live segment was to address the controversy, set boundaries for satire, and move forward without inflaming the moment further.
The receipts vs. “bad ratings”: 6.26M linear viewers, decade-high, plus 26M online
Preliminary Nielsen put Jimmy Kimmel Live’s ratings at 6.26 million viewers. Over triple the show’s typical audience, and a decade-high for a regularly scheduled episode. The monologue collected about 26 million views across YouTube and Instagram within a day. Even with preemptions covering roughly 23% of U.S. households (Nexstar and Sinclair ABC affiliates), the numbers held. Among adults 18 to 49, trades reported an estimated 0.87, far above recent norms. Jimmy Kimmel Live not only rebounded, but its ratings outpaced ordinary late-night baselines in both linear and digital.
How we got here: The Kirk monologue, ABC’s pause, affiliate boycotts, Trump’s pressure & the FCC angle
Timeline: ABC paused Jimmy Kimmel Live on September 17 after Kimmel’s earlier remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing. Disney then announced on September 22 that the show would return on September 23. Jimmy Kimmel Live subsequently aired nationally, while several large affiliate groups still preempted it.
Affiliate opt-outs: Nexstar and Sinclair continued blackouts in multiple major markets during the return, keeping Jimmy Kimmel Live off some local ABC stations while negotiations continued.
Trump’s comments: In posts before the return, Trump derided the reinstatement and teased legal action, tying it to “ratings” narratives. As per the Truth social post dated September 24, 2025, Trump wrote:
"I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his “talent” was never there."
Regulatory pressure: The debate escalated when the FCC chairman publicly leaned in. As per the People report dated September 23, 2025, Brendan Carr said on a podcast:
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,...There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this."
Before later downplaying that line in a summit. Senior lawmakers subsequently urged keeping the government out of programming decisions.
Bottom line: Jimmy Kimmel Live’s ratings on September 23, despite preemptions, contradicted the “bad ratings” claim. The audience and online reach underscored that the late-night talk show remains a prime-time force, with data rather than rhetoric deciding the night.
Stay tuned for more updates
Jimmy Kimmel during the opening monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live (Image via YouTube/@JimmyKimmelLive).