Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves last week after a very short suspension related to his remarks about Charlie Kirk and MAGA.
Democrats painted Kimmel as a brave defender of the First Amendment and argued his suspension was a gross violation of his First Amendment rights.
It wasn't, of course. He was suspended for saying things insulting to half of the country and then for refusing to tone it down at the request of ABC/Disney execs. We wouldn't blame anyone if they believed Kimmel's martyrdom was also a cynical ploy to boost his ratings.
His ratings did enjoy a spike after he returned to late-night. Like his suspension, however, that spike was short-lived.
Jimmy Kimmel’s short-lived ratings spike comes to screeching halt https://t.co/6rnoc2cSV6 pic.twitter.com/hmjReJSRBI
— New York Post (@nypost) September 29, 2025
Here's more from the New York Post:
Disney briefly suspended ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked widespread backlash. After an about-face from Disney, the liberal comedian returned last Tuesday, and Kimmel’s emotional return drew a massive audience, but viewers haven’t stuck around.
On Thursday, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged 2.3 million total viewers — a staggering 64% drop from the 6.5 million who tuned in for Tuesday’s much-hyped return.
Kimmel shed even more viewers in the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, with Thursday’s episode hemorrhaging 73% of viewers from the critical category.
One X user said, "The average leftist attention span and outrage cycle is about 12 minutes," and another added, "Is @Disney going to suspend him again for another spike?"
Kimmel's show was struggling in the ratings before Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk, and ABC execs were likely going to cut ties with Kimmel after this season anyway:
The multimillionaire late-night host had just months left on his deal with Disney and was set to start negotiations with bigwigs later this year.
However, we’re told that ABC may have been getting ready to push him out after this season.
Sources said the network could’ve used the furor over his outspoken nightly monologues to pull the plug early and avoid another year of Kimmel’s controversial comments.
One insider said Disney chief Bob Iger “doesn’t want to be at war with Donald Trump right now, just as he has stabilized Disney.”
“I don’t know what they are planning, but maybe the uproar is so loud Jimmy can’t come back.”
But those facts don't stand in the way of a good narrative. Actor Bradley Whitford called Kimmel's suspension a "very clear attack on free speech" and said Kimmel's reaction to Kirk's assassination was "nothing but compassionate."
Once again, the Left is going to learn that no one, not even their darling Kimmel, has a "right" to earn millions of dollars while leading a late-night Democrat group therapy session.
Another X user added, "As every rational person predicted. Once the 'Watch Kimmel to pwn Drumpf' furor wears off, all you're left with is an unfunny narcoleptic who makes $15 million a year to stutter over his writers' punchlines like a pinko Porky Pig."
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