Late-night TV shows have collectively seen declining viewership over the years. After Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily suspended from on-air broadcasts, Donald Trump claimed the comedian has had “bad” ratings for years. So, is it true? Here, we have a breakdown of Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s ratings over the past 10 years.
Was Jimmy Kimmel Fired by ABC?
No, Kimmel was not fired. The network suspended him “indefinitely” after his comments about Charlie Kirk‘s suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, angered right-wing viewers as well as the FCC.
Days after Kimmel sent his condolences to the Kirk family and condemned political violence, he said on his show’s September 15, 2025, episode, “The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
FCC boss Brendan Carr went on Benny Johnson’s show to discuss the “very, very serious issue … for Disney,” noting, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired,” Carr continued. “I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was not canceled, despite assumptions made by various public figures. ABC confirmed his return to the airwaves for September 23.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to @ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done…” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/Vhj6DQSssu
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2025
Were Jimmy Kimmel’s Ratings Low Over the Past Few Years?
Kimmel’s ratings decreased since 2015, according to multiple outlets and Nielsen data. Ten years ago, Kimmel had an average of 2.4 million viewers. Since 2015, that viewership has gradually declined through 2025.
During the second quarter of 2025, Kimmel averaged around 220,000 adults aged 18 to 49 years old, per data from Nielsen. The show averaged 1.8 million viewers in Q1 and 1.77 million viewers during Q2, per Forbes and USTVDB.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ratings Year by Year
In 2015, Kimmel had 2.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data. The following is a list of Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s ratings year after year from 2015 to 2021, according to Nielsen data, Forbes and Fox News:
- 2015 — 2.4 million
- 2016 — 2.2 million
- 2017 — 2.2 million
- 2018 — 2.1 million
- 2019 — 1.9 million
- 2020 — 1.8 million
- 2021 — 1.5 million
It’s too early to determine the total viewership for Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2025.
By comparison, other late-night TV shows have also seen a decline in viewership largely due to the public’s new reliance on streaming platforms and social media.
Is Jimmy Kimmel Coming Back?
Yes, Kimmel is returning on September 23, 2025, ABC confirmed.
A source close to the situation told CNN, “Everyone deeply values [Kimmel] and wants him to come back. But he has to take down the temperature [with his Trump-related commentary].”
Disney’s decision to pull Kimmel’s show was not a “rash” decision, CNN further reported. The problem “had been brewing” the week of September 15, 2025, because Kimmel didn’t relent from his “MAGA gang” remarks and Kirk’s shooting.
Company executives told the comedian to “[take] down the temperature” of what would have been his September 17, 2025, monologue, a separate source told CNN. When he didn’t, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-chairman Dana Walden decided to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! “in hopes of protecting Kimmel and the Disney brand from accelerating the controversy.”
Variety reported on September 19, 2025, that Kimmel’s legal team and Disney are working to reach a compromise. Still, a solid agreement has not been met at the time of publication.
