Jimmy Kimmel is back and better than ever.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host returned to his late-night desk with a record-breaking 6.3 million viewers on Tuesday night, making it the most-watched regularly scheduled episode in the show’s more than 22-year history, per Variety.
Tuesday night’s broadcast, meanwhile, marked a 343% increase from the previous season’s average of 1.4 million viewers, according to the outlet and preliminary data from Nielsen.
However, Kimmel’s impressive 6.3 million total could have been even higher if Nextar and Sinclair – two of the largest companies that own and operate local TV stations and ABC affiliates across the country – didn’t blackout “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from 23% of US households.
The comedian’s late-night show was temporarily pulled off the air by ABC last Wednesday following Kimmel’s controversial comments about Charlie Kirk, which sparked outrage among conservatives.
Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot dead on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. He was 31.
Tyler Robinson, the Turning Point USA founder’s suspected killer, was later arrested and charged with Kirk’s shocking murder.
During his opening monologue on Sept. 15, Kimmel claimed that the “MAGA gang” was “trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” to “score political points from” the tragic incident.
But after the Disney-owned network suspended Kimmel “indefinitely” following pressure from Nexstar, Sinclair and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the late-night host reportedly negotiated his return.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in a statement earlier this week.
“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” it continued. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Although Kimmel tried to clarify the incendiary claims that left him suspended for nearly a week upon his return to the late-night desk, he opted not to apologize for the comments.
“You understand that it was never my intention to make light of a murder of a young man,” he said in his opening remarks. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
“I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset,” Kimmel added.
The host then distanced himself from his initial claim that Kirk’s suspected killer was part of the “MAGA gang.”
“I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone,” he stated. “This is a sick person who believes violence is a solution, and it isn’t.”
Nextstar, however, was not swayed by Kimmel’s non-apology upon his return, and the company announced that it will continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its ABC stations for the foreseeable future.
“Nexstar is continuing to evaluate the status of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on our ABC-affiliated local television stations, and the show will be preempted while we do so,” the company said in a statement Wednesday, September 24.
“We are engaged in productive discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company, with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve,” it added.
