Jimmy Kimmel suffers a massive collapse in viewership after a week of ratings boom

Famous comedian Jimmy KimmelThe recent rise in ratings appears to be short-lived, according to reports.

The late-night host’s show saw a huge boom upon his return from a brief suspension due to his controversial statements about the killing of Charlie Kirk and MAGA.

However, that gain is said to have been cut by a large percentage, leaving the future of Jimmy Kimmel’s show on shaky ground.

Just one week after enjoying a major post-commentary boost, Jimmy Kimmel’s show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” It suffered a massive 71% drop in viewership.

On September 23, the late-night host returned to the air and was watched by approximately 6.5 million viewers, the highest number the show has ever recorded in its history.

However, according to A a reportthat number dropped to just 1.9 million by October, seemingly ending any hopes Kimmel had that his triumphant return would positively impact his ratings in the long run.

Worse still, the 25-54 demographic saw an even steeper decline, falling to just 265,000 viewers from the 1.7 million viewers logged on the first night of Kimmel’s return.

With such a ratings nightmare, industry insiders began to question whether Disney and other broadcasters would continue to support Kimmel after the efforts they made to facilitate his return.

At this time, it remains unclear what led to this massive decline, although the show continues to air across all former ABC affiliates that aired it before Kimmel’s suspension.

However, it’s likely that the initial bump in ratings came mainly from curious viewers eager to see Kimmel return, rather than the usual fan base. The show averaged about 1.6 million viewers throughout 2025 before the suspension.

Kimmel and his team may now be strategizing ways to win back those lost viewers, but it appears that any plans they have in the works are being kept under wraps for now.

Amid a sharp decline in ratings, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” She also finds herself outpacing conservative rival Greg Gutfeld “Gutfeld!”

While Kimmel only managed 1.9 million viewers on October 2, Gutfeld pulled in 2.8 million viewers.

Gutfeld also topped the 25-54 demographic, drawing 370,000 viewers compared to Kimmel’s 265,000 viewers.

Kimmel’s comment came briefly after he made controversial statements about the killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

At the time, he claimed that Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, was part of a “MAGA gang” and that they were using the incident to score political points.

The statement sparked widespread backlash from netizens and Kirk’s supporters, who called for Kimmel’s cancellation.

When ABC eventually informed the TV personality of his suspension, he was reportedly shocked and feared his show might never return.

“I thought that’s it. It’s over. It’s over. I’ll never be back on the air. That’s really what I thought,” Kimmel revealed during a recent sit-down with fellow late-night show host Stephen Colbert, per Fox News.

“And I went out into my office, and I called some of the executive producers. There were about nine people there, and I said, ‘They’re going to take this off the air.’ My wife said I was white, and I was whiter than Jim Gaffigan when I got out of there.”