TUNED OUT: The late-night host’s brief audience boom is circling the drain, as 71% of viewers who tuned in for Kimmel’s return after his suspension over controversial Charlie Kirk remarks have since dropped off.

Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings boom appears to be circling the drain.

Disney briefly suspended ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last month after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked widespread backlash. Once Disney reversed course, the liberal comedian drew a massive audience for his much-hyped return on September 23.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged 1.9 million viewers, shedding 71% of the audience that tuned in for the host’s return from suspension.

 

Jimmy Kimmel sitting at a desk on set

Disney briefly suspended ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked widespread outrage.

The decline among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54 was even more significant, as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” managed 265,000 viewers from the critical group on Thursday night to lose 85% of the 1.7 million who tuned in on Sept. 23. It marked Kimmel’s smallest audience among demo viewers since the suspension.

Kimmel averaged 1.6 million viewers in 2025 before Disney decided to temporarily sideline him, so another drop would result in the show returning to its pre-scandal viewership.

 

 

Jimmy Kimmel and Charlie Kirk

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was briefly pulled off the air last week after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage.

Gutfeld averaged 2.8 million total viewers to top Kimmel by 49% and 370,000 demo viewers for a 40% edge in that category, too.

Kimmel found himself in hot water last month when he falsely suggested that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, was part of the “MAGA gang,” despite reports he had a left-wing ideology, which was reaffirmed in the indictment filed the next day.

“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,” Kimmel told his audience.

The false suggestion that Robinson was a MAGA supporter sparked outrage and scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Disney decided to suspend the show after Nexstar and Sinclair pulled airings of Kimmel from their stations, and Kimmel reportedly had told executives last week he would not apologize for his comments.

 

Charlie Kirk in a white T-shirt emblazoned with the word "Freedom" at UVU shortly before his assassination

Charlie Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University.

Kimmel’s brief benching caused outrage from the left, and hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside Disney’s location in Burbank, California, to demand that Disney put “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back on the air. Protesters also gathered outside Kimmel’s studio on Hollywood Boulevard, where they were recorded chanting, “ABC bent the knee! No to the FCC!”

Disney’s suspension lasted less than a week and Kimmel returned with a passionate monologue but stopped short of a full apology. Once Kimmel addressed the situation, he immediately went back to bashing President Donald Trump and other conservatives on a nightly basis.

Kirk’s supporters panned Kimmel’s non-apology, saying the ABC host failed to take responsibility for the falsehood.

“Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils,” Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet reacted.