Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night with a ratings jolt: 6.26 million viewers for ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, according to Nielsen Preliminary Fast National Live+Same Day data shared by Disney. The episode marked the show’s strongest regularly scheduled performance in roughly a decade and delivered a 0.87 rating among adults 18-49. Despite preemptions that affected nearly a quarter of U.S. TV households, the broadcast surged on linear and across social platforms. ABC also reported the monologue accelerated online to tens of millions of views within hours. [2]

Key Takeaways

– Shows Jimmy Kimmel’s comeback drew 6.26 million viewers on Sept. 23, 2025, the show’s highest regularly scheduled audience since March 12, 2015. [3] – Reveals a 0.87 adults 18-49 rating, materially above the show’s typical roughly 1.6–1.8 million total-viewer baseline this year. [4] – Demonstrates resilience despite about 23% of U.S. households being preempted by affiliates, underscoring unusually strong tune-in under constrained distribution. [2] – Indicates massive digital spillover, with the monologue surpassing 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms within roughly a day of airing. [3] – Suggests an audience spike roughly 3.5x–4.4x above recent 1.42–1.77 million quarterly averages, signaling heightened advertiser value in a key demo. [2]

Jimmy Kimmel’s decade-best broadcast by the numbers

Disney said 6.26 million viewers tuned in to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, per Nielsen Preliminary Fast National Live+Same Day ratings. That total-viewer figure marks a dramatic departure from recent late-night norms and put ABC at the center of the post-primetime conversation. [2]

ABC added that the episode posted a 0.87 rating among adults 18-49, the show’s core advertising demographic, and the highest regularly scheduled “Kimmel” telecast since March 12, 2015. The combination of a decade-best historical comparison and a strong demo result underscores both breadth and quality of audience. [3]

The unusually large turnout arrived despite significant distribution headwinds. ABC and Disney noted affiliate preemptions reduced coverage by roughly 23% of U.S. TV households, limiting potential reach but not dampening outcome. In other words, a constrained clearance night still produced ABC’s biggest regularly scheduled “Kimmel” in about ten years. [2]

Against recent show baselines, the scale is stark. CNBC reported the program’s Q2 average hovered near 1.42–1.77 million total viewers; the 6.26 million comeback therefore delivered about 3.5x to 4.4x the typical quarterly audience. That kind of lift is rare in late-night and signals unusually high viewer intent. [2]

Business Insider similarly framed the year-to-date norm as roughly 1.6–1.8 million viewers, reinforcing how far above trend Tuesday’s telecast landed. Whether subsequent episodes retain a portion of that spike will be a key storyline for ABC, affiliates, and media buyers. [4]

Reuters characterized the achievement as the show’s biggest regularly scheduled episode in roughly a decade and flagged that the figures are preliminary. While final nationals and time-shifted metrics could add incremental audience, the decade-best marker provides a solid historical anchor. [1]

How preemptions and distribution shaped the audience

Affiliate preemptions covered about 23% of U.S. TV households on the night, with non-clearances tied to station groups including Nexstar and Sinclair, according to reports citing ABC and Disney. For a network late-night program, such a significant clearance gap would typically compress reach, yet audience delivery expanded sharply. [5]

Still, 6.26 million viewers tuned in where the show aired, indicating a high level of viewer intent and appointment behavior that overcame the distribution hole. In practical terms, the episode’s audience density per cleared household likely ran much higher than usual. [2]

The unusual distribution backdrop also shaped network–affiliate dynamics. Outlets reported that ABC and affected station groups were in ongoing discussions, suggesting the network sought to improve near-term clearance while leveraging the momentum from the comeback night. [4]

Digital momentum amplified Jimmy Kimmel’s reach

The broadcast surge was mirrored by viral traction. ABC said Kimmel’s monologue surpassed 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms within roughly a day, a cross-platform signal of cultural salience that often feeds back into linear awareness. The blend of linear and digital attention likely raised total reach even beyond TV’s measured audience. [3]

Business Insider noted that YouTube alone exceeded 17 million views in the same window, underscoring the platform’s outsized role in late-night sampling and shareability. For talent-led franchises, a breakout clip can expand the top of the funnel and stimulate incremental tune-in for the next telecast. [4]

Reuters likewise emphasized the speed and scale of online engagement, aligning with ABC’s assessment that the return catalyzed social conversation at unusual volume. For advertisers, those signals translate into brand adjacency across environments, bolstering multi-screen campaign lift. [1]

Why Jimmy Kimmel’s return matters to advertisers

A 0.87 adults 18-49 rating is a notable late-night result in 2025, delivering concentrated exposure in a demo that drives pricing power. Buyers seeking reach against younger-skewing segments in brand-safe, premium inventory will recognize the value of an episode that breaks out beyond the genre’s recent ceilings. [3]

Relative to mid-1 million norms for total viewers this year, the comeback’s 6.26 million total-viewer delivery materially expands reach and frequency within a single night. Even if the figure tapers in subsequent episodes, the spike demonstrates headroom for selective late-night programming to command elevated CPMs when cultural conditions align. [4]

CNBC’s quarterly baseline range of 1.42–1.77 million further contextualizes the magnitude of the outperformance. In a marketplace where incremental reach has become expensive, moments like this can be leveraged for sponsorships, integrations, and premium pricing tied to eventized late-night content. [2]

What to watch next in the ratings

Nielsen’s Preliminary Fast National Live+Same Day numbers are subject to adjustment in final nationals, though big ranking swings are uncommon when gaps are this wide. The final print will confirm the scale and could nudge totals modestly, but the narrative of a decade-best regularly scheduled telecast is unlikely to change. [1]

Time-shifted metrics such as Live+3 and Live+7 often add incremental audience for late-night, especially when moments generate robust social chatter. While advertisers increasingly transact on standardized currency windows, the combination of linear and digital performance will inform how ABC packages inventory around the show in coming weeks.

ABC’s press materials explicitly framed the return as the strongest regularly scheduled episode since March 12, 2015. That benchmark gives programmers a clean yardstick to measure retention and set realistic expectations for week two and beyond as interest normalizes from event to routine viewership. [3]

Jimmy Kimmel’s comeback reframes late-night momentum

Kimmel returned from suspension into a media environment primed for a narrative swing, and the results were immediate on both TV and social. The episode’s dual-channel resonance validated ABC’s promotional push and tapped pent-up curiosity among viewers who had drifted from live late-night in recent years. [1]

The ratings spike, achieved despite approximately 23% household preemptions, suggests a durable brand connection that can withstand short-term distribution friction. The key metric for continuity will be how much of the 0.87 adults 18-49 rating persists as the show shifts from event to routine and as affiliates stabilize clearances. [3]

For the broader late-night slate, the takeaway is clear: when a host’s return is framed as a cultural moment and amplified by viral clips, linear audiences still respond. That opens the door for networks to strategically eventize select broadcasts, strengthen cross-platform promotion, and recapture primacy in a fragmented after-hours market.

Sources:

[1] Reuters – Jimmy Kimmel returns from suspension, late-night show reaches ratings high: www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/jimmy-kimmel-monologue-racks-up-more-than-14-million-views-social-media-2025-09-24/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/jimmy-kimmel-monologue-racks-up-more-than-14-million-views-social-media-2025-09-24/

[2] CNBC – ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ return draws 6.26 million viewers, ABC parent Disney says: www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/09/24/jimmy-kimmel-return-ratings-abc-disney.html” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/09/24/jimmy-kimmel-return-ratings-abc-disney.html [3] ABC (press release via DET Press) – “Jimmy Kimmel Live” returned on Tuesday to 6.26 million total viewers on broadcast, according to initial Live+Same Day measurement: www.detpress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-returned-on-tuesday-to-6-26-million-total-viewers-on-broadcast-according-to-initial-livesame-day-measurement-1/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.detpress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-returned-on-tuesday-to-6-26-million-total-viewers-on-broadcast-according-to-initial-livesame-day-measurement-1/

[4] Business Insider – Jimmy Kimmel’s comeback show reached 6.26 million viewers, Disney says: www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-comeback-show-reached-millions-viewers-disney-nielsen-2025-9″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel-comeback-show-reached-millions-viewers-disney-nielsen-2025-9 [5] NBC News – Jimmy Kimmel nabs highest ratings in over a decade with post-suspension episode: www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/jimmy-kimmel-highest-ratings-over-decade-post-suspension-episode/3953669/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/jimmy-kimmel-highest-ratings-over-decade-post-suspension-episode/3953669/

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