Jimmy Kimmel’s Return Draws 6.3 Million Viewers Despite Station Blackouts, Smashes YouTube Record

Jimmy Kimmel’s first new episode since his suspension attracted 6.3 million traditional TV viewers, triple his normal audience. The late-night host achieved his highest ratings in the 18-49 demographic for a regular episode in over 10 years, despite dozens of markets blacking out the broadcast. Major station groups Nexstar and Sinclair continue preempting the show, affecting ABC affiliates reaching roughly 23% of American households. Viewers in those markets turned to streaming platforms to watch Kimmel’s nearly 30-minute monologue about free speech in America. The clip has already been viewed over 15 million times on YouTube, becoming Kimmel’s most-watched video on the platform. It’s still earning over one million YouTube views hourly, and has reached tens of millions across all platforms. (Story URL)