Jimmy Kimmel’s TV return is almost complete as Sinclair Broadcasting Group has finally agreed to begin airing the comedian’s late-night chat show on the networks under their control. In a statement (via Variety), Sinclair said:
“Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence. Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”
“As a company rooted in local stations, Sinclair remains committed to serving our communities with programming that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue. We look forward to continuing to work with ABC to deliver content that serves a broad spectrum of our communities.”
Jimmy Kimmel’s TV Return was a Huge Success
“I do tonight,” Jimmy Kimmel joyously proclaimed on his late-night return in response to video footage of Donald Trump’s historical claims that he “has no ratings.” He wasn’t lying either, as Jimmy Kimmel didn’t just come back on Tuesday night – he came back with his highest viewing figures in a decade and a new YouTube record on the side.
After a six-day suspension, Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to ABC, and even with a 23% blackout thanks to Nexstar and Sinclair refusing to air the show at the time, the episode pulled in 6.26 million viewers. Compared to the usual 1-2 million the series attracts, this was a massive leap, and one that gave Kimmel his highest viewing figures in more than a decade, according to Nielsen data. Not only that, but the opening monologue of the show was subsequently uploaded to YouTube and attracted over 26 million views – a record-breaking amount for Kimmel’s YouTube history.
Of course, there were many people who tuned in out of nothing more than the need to see how Kimmel would address his suspension, the comments that resulted in his suspension, and, naturally, Donald Trump. He did not disappoint on any count, segueing between the political firestorm that got him sidelined – remarks surrounding the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk – and the government and industry pressure that followed. He choked up while addressing Kirk’s death, noting that it was “never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man”, defended the use of satire, and thanked the expected (Disney for standing by him) and the unexpected (frequent sparring partner, Ted Cruz, who had made comments about the dangers of restricting free speech).
Jimmy Kimmel Was Happy to Take Some New Shots at Donald Trump
As well as firing back at President Trump’s mocking comments of him having no ratings, Kimmel was not about to let Trump off just because it might make the President angry. As well as enlisting fellow Trump critic Robert De Niro for a short sketch taking aim at the President’s recent announcement that Tylenol causes autism, Kimmel didn’t strip out his own take on the way Trump and FCC chairman Brendan Carr had attempted to take him down.
“He tried his best to cancel me and instead forced millions to watch the show. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”
Kimmel continued, marking the way that Trump wanting his show off the air would not only impact his career, but also all of those who are employed to work on the series.
“The President made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here, fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke…
This show is not important, what is important is we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
For Kimmel, despite the uncertainty of the last week, his suspension only ended up making him more popular and important than if he had been allowed to remain on the air after last week’s show. It seems that whoever was really to blame for taking the series off-air not only ensured that, for at least one night, Kimmel had strong ratings, but made sure that they were historic record-breaking ratings.
- Release Date
-
January 26, 2003
- Network
-
ABC
- Writers
-
Joel Hodgson, Sal Iacono, Tony Barbieri, Eric Immerman, Jonathan Bines, Rick Rosner, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Jeff Loveness, Josh Halloway, Bess Kalb
