After a nearly week-long break, Jimmy Kimmel Live! made its highly anticipated return last night, and the ratings are off the charts. Jimmy didn’t hold back during his monologue, addressing his comments about Charlie Kirk, the outpouring of support he’s received from both sides of the aisle, and, of course, President Trump’s earlier remarks about his show’s ratings.
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Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Trump’s Remarks
A memorable moment in last night’s show was when Jimmy played a clip of Donald Trump calling him a “whack job” with “no ratings.” Jimmy, never one to back down, quickly replied, “Well, I do tonight!” His sharp wit helped fuel what became an unprecedented ratings surge.
YouTube Numbers Break Records
Jimmy’s monologue reached impressive numbers. According to CNN’s Chief Data Analyst, Harry Enten, Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s YouTube channel typically sees a median of 240,000 views per video over the last six months. However, last night’s monologue achieved a staggering 6.7 million views. By the time of writing, the number has jumped to 12.9 million. This video has garnered the largest viewership in at least six months.
Enten noted, “If Donald Trump’s idea was to give Jimmy Kimmel more press and more viewership, he absolutely succeeded — though I doubt that was his intention.” The numbers back up this observation, clearly showing that the exposure worked in Jimmy’s favor.
Surging Search Interest and Viewership
Along with record-breaking YouTube views, Enten highlighted a huge spike in Google searches for “What time is Jimmy Kimmel on?” The search volume jumped by over 10,000%, suggesting that Kimmel attracted a significant number of new viewers. This often leads to an increase in live viewership, even though the full ratings aren’t available yet.
Interestingly, searches for “boycotting Disney” and “cancel Disney+” dropped by 75% compared to the previous week. This suggests Kimmel’s return could benefit both his show and Disney. The controversy around Disney seems to have cooled, at least temporarily.
Blackouts and Global Support for Kimmel
While the YouTube surge is impressive, ABC’s live broadcast numbers haven’t been released yet. Some ABC affiliates, particularly those owned by Sinclair and Nexstar, chose not to air the show, possibly affecting local viewership. However, many viewers whose stations were blacked out watched the monologue on YouTube. This shows the global appeal of Jimmy Kimmel’s humor.
Viewers from around the world, including Portland, Oregon, and Ukraine, expressed their support. One commenter from Ukraine wrote, “Watching from Ukraine from the shelter. Jimmy, you are an international star,” proving Kimmel’s influence stretches far beyond the U.S.
A Big Win for Jimmy Kimmel and Disney
Ultimately, Jimmy Kimmel’s return to the stage has been a huge success. The viral monologue, massive YouTube views, and decrease in Disney-related boycotts all suggest that bringing Kimmel back helped both him and Disney. The show’s return has been a bright spot for Disney, especially as some boycotts and cancellations have seemed to fade.
