Jimmy Kimmel’s return draws record ratings despite ABC blackout

Jimmy Kimmel Live! made a powerful return this week, capturing widespread attention across broadcast and streaming platforms.

According to ABC, the first new episode since Kimmel’s suspension delivered a major ratings boost on television and quickly spread online.

In the key demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, the show marked its strongest performance in more than a decade.

On traditional broadcast, the episode averaged 6.3 million viewers, more than triple the program’s usual audience, even while being blacked out in dozens of markets.

Online, Kimmel’s free speech monologue has already been viewed over 15 million times on YouTube, setting a new record as his most-watched monologue ever.

At its peak, the clip was gaining more than a million views per hour across platforms.

The strong response came despite the program still being unavailable in cities tied to Nexstar and Sinclair-owned stations, which together reach nearly a quarter of US households.

Many viewers instead turned to YouTube and social media to catch Kimmel’s 30-minute segment.

Previously, Kimmel’s most popular YouTube video was his emotional monologue about his son Billy’s heart condition eight years ago.