In a candid moment, Jimmy Kimmel expressed his gratitude to Donald Trump for a remarkable spike in viewership after his return to the ABC show. During his September 25 monologue on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, the popular host revealed that his Tuesday night episode garnered an impressive 21 million views on YouTube alone. This surge in popularity comes after an indefinite suspension for Kimmel due to comments made about conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
According to People magazine, Kimmel’s comeback episode attracted an average of 6.26 million viewers through traditional television, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. The viral monologue from Tuesday night had already amassed over 15.9 million views on YouTube within 24 hours of its release, exceeding 21.7 million views by Friday, September 26.
Kimmel quipped, “This has been a tumultuous week. Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air.” He further added, “Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone,” humorously thanking the former President, “I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.”
The sentiment was reciprocated, albeit with a dose of political banter, when Donald Trump reacted to Kimmel’s return on Truth Social. Trump expressed disbelief that ABC would reinstate Kimmel, stating, “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!” He also commented on Kimmel’s audience numbers, adding, “Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there.”
Kimmel fired back, referencing Trump’s electoral success, “You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe we gave you your job back.” This witty exchange highlights the ongoing political commentary that often shapes late-night television.