Kimmel’s Return Breaks Records Amid Blackouts and Firestorm Over Charlie Kirk Remarks

Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the air Tuesday night with a record 6.3 million viewers, the largest audience for a regularly scheduled episode in the show’s more than 22-year run, Variety reported citing preliminary Nielsen data. The broadcast also marked a 343% boost from the previous season’s average of about 1.4 million viewers.

However, the high marks came even as Nexstar and Sinclair blacked out the show on ABC stations in roughly 23% of U.S. households. Disney-owned ABC paused production last week after Kimmel drew conservative backlash with remarks about Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder who was shot dead on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah.

In a Sept. 15 opening monologue, Kimmel said that the so-called MAGA gang had tried to frame the shooter as someone other than a member of their movement to score political points from a tragedy. Disney said it suspended production “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” and noted it spent several days in discussions with Kimmel before deciding to return the show on Tuesday.

The Week's events also included confirmation of the victim’s name and the ensuing investigation. Kirk, a conservative activist, was killed on Sept. 10 on a campus in Utah. The Turning Point USA founder’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, was later arrested and charged in the case. During his Sept. 15 monologue, Kimmel asserted that the incident had prompted a national conversation about violence and political rhetoric, while stressing that his intent was never to minimize the tragedy.

On Sept. 23, Kimmel returned to the desk and delivered a personal address from the heart. He acknowledged the duration of the suspension and the controversy surrounding his remarks, saying, “You understand that it was never my intention to make light of a murder of a young man.” He added that he understood why some viewers found his comments ill-timed or unclear, and he asserted that he did not believe the shooter should be represented as someone from a larger political movement. “This is a sick person who believes violence is a solution, and it isn’t,” he said, pushing back against suggestions that his remarks reflected on any group as a whole.

Nexstar, meanwhile, indicated it would continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its ABC-affiliated stations while evaluating the situation. The company said it was engaged in productive discussions with The Walt Disney Company and would work to ensure the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities it serves.

The episode’s ratings surge underscores a broader dynamic in late-night TV: a significant audience for a single, high-profile return, even as local affiliates weigh editorial decisions and carriage amid political sensitivities. As Disney and Nexstar work through the terms of reruns, preemptions and on-air conduct standards, Kimmel’s team has shown a readiness to recalibrate messaging in a highly charged environment.