Executive Summary
The Story So Far
Why This Matters
Who Thinks What?
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has experienced a significant surge in his program’s viewership across both YouTube and traditional television, following his recent return to air. His Tuesday night comeback monologue is nearing 20 million views on YouTube, marking it as his most-watched monologue ever on the platform, while Wednesday’s follow-up also garnered millions of online views.
Kimmel’s Viewership Surge
The newfound enthusiasm for Jimmy Kimmel’s show appears to be sustained beyond his initial return. By Thursday morning, his Wednesday night monologue had accumulated over 3.5 million views on YouTube, positioning it among his most-watched videos of the year on the platform. This follows the monumental success of his Tuesday night monologue, which continued to approach 20 million views.
This spike in online viewership is partly attributed to a blackout of Kimmel’s show by local TV station operators Nexstar and Sinclair. These two companies control ABC-affiliated stations in markets that collectively represent approximately 23% of American television households, potentially driving viewers to digital platforms.
On traditional television, Kimmel’s return episode attracted at least 6.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen measurements. This figure is expected to increase as additional forms of viewing are factored into the final tally.
Kimmel Addresses Trump’s Criticism
Kimmel acknowledged his show’s strong ratings performance during his Wednesday night broadcast, directly responding to a recent Truth Social post from President Trump. President Trump had criticized Kimmel’s ratings, stating, “Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings.”
Kimmel used his platform to mock the comment, stating, “This was his big closer: ‘Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings.’” He then added, “And he does know bad ratings: He has some of the worst ratings any president has ever had. On behalf of all of us, welcome to the crappy ratings club, Mr. President.”
Key Takeaways
The sustained high viewership for Jimmy Kimmel’s program, both digitally and on traditional broadcast, indicates a significant and possibly lasting boost in audience engagement. This surge comes amid a blackout in key markets and has provided a platform for Kimmel to directly address critics, including President Trump, regarding his show’s performance.
