Jimmy Kimmel's audience plummets after TV return as he's dealt huge blow

Jimmy Kimmel's triumphant return to late-night TV has turned sour, with his ratings crashing only days after Disney lifted his suspension. The 56-year-old host of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off air earlier this month after remarks about the alleged assassin of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk caused uproar. Disney briefly suspended the programme after Kimmel claimed on-air that 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson was part of the "MAGA gang."

Court filings later revealed Robinson had a left-wing ideology, forcing Kimmel into an embarrassing backtrack. Despite the controversy, Disney quickly reversed its decision and allowed him back on screens last Tuesday. His comeback drew huge attention, with 6.5million tuning in to see his emotional monologue. But within just 48 hours, the surge had evaporated. By Thursday night, Jimmy Kimmel Live! had slumped to 2.3million viewers - a jaw-dropping 64% fall from Tuesday's peak.

The drop was even steeper in the all-important advertising demographic of adults aged 25 to 54.

Kimmel pulled in 1.7million in that bracket on Tuesday, but by Thursday the figure had plummeted to 465,000 - a collapse of 73%. Among younger viewers aged 18 to 49, the show tanked from 1.2million to only 334,000 in the same time frame.

Kimmel had told his audience: "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

That claim drew the ire of Kirk's supporters and sparked scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission. Broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair even refused to carry Kimmel's show, forcing Disney to step in.

Reports suggested Kimmel told executives he would not apologise, and when he returned, he offered only a partial acknowledgement rather than a full retraction.

The backlash has highlighted a longer-term issue for Kimmel. His show has been on a steady ratings decline for the past decade.

In 2015, Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 2.4million nightly viewers. That slipped to 2.1million in 2018, 1.9million in 2019 and 1.8 million in 2020. By 2021, the average was just 1.5million. Last year's 1.6million represented a 37% drop from a decade earlier.

This month's suspension was the latest blow to a show already struggling to compete with rivals in the late-night wars. Nexstar and Sinclair only reinstated the programme on Friday, days after Disney gave the green light.

Kirk's supporters accused Kimmel of deliberately fuelling division. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet fumed: "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."