Jimmy Kimmel's return to ABC draws record 6.26 million late-night viewers

By Thomas Buckley

 

Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late-night TV on Tuesday drew 6.26 million viewers, Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network said in an emailed statement, the most ever in the show’s regular time slot.

 

The total is significantly higher than the 1.55 million viewers Jimmy Kimmel Live! has averaged this year, according to Nielsen data. ABC suspended the program on Sept. 17 following comments the host made two nights earlier about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. 

 

In his opening remarks, Kimmel was overall supportive of Disney, although he said he disagreed with the decision to suspend him, which was reached by Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger and Dana Walden, the co-chair of Disney’s entertainment division. 

 

Kimmel criticised Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who had called on station owners to take the program off the air last week. 

 

The numbers don’t include viewers who watched the program on streaming services. The total was particularly high considering that Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Sinclair Inc., two large owners of ABC affiliates, chose to not air the show. Together they reach about 23 per cent of US households. 

 

Late-night talk-show hosts have lost viewers for the most part, as audiences shift to streaming services and social media. Kimmel’s ratings this year are down about 37 per cent from a decade ago, according to Nielsen data. 

 

The host’s opening monologue was viewed more than 26 million times on YouTube and social media services.