Jimmy Kimmel has, once more, ruled the late-night broadcast! In just a few days, his new monologue has shot to the top of the list of all times most-viewed on YouTube for the former Daily Show host. The monologue attracted an impressive 6.26 million viewers during its broadcast, underscoring Kimmel’s enduring popularity amid ongoing controversies in the television landscape.
The show opened on a Monday night and drew a huge viewership. For many Americans, they were unable to do so, as it was broadcast on eight Sinclair and Nexstar owned ABC affiliate stations. This situation arises as Nexstar seeks Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for a $6.2 billion merger, highlighting the complex dynamics affecting network broadcasting.
In 2017, Kimmel established his former YouTube record. He passionately told the story of the birth of his son Billy, who was born with a congenital heart defect that required emergency surgery. That instant classic of a monologue had previously been the most-viewed for all-time – until now.
On TikTok, Kimmel’s responses to many more of these high-profile events have been blowing up. This latest milestone only serves to increase the importance of his influence. His controversial take on Will Smith’s now-infamous slap of Chris Rock that opened the 2022 Oscars earned 13 million viewers. At the same time, his deeply moving analysis of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas in 2017 brought him 10 million views. In addition to rabidly opposing Trump and supporting climate action, Kimmel’s show explained why Trump’s re-election bid last November received nearly 9 million views.
Kimmel addressed his suspension by ABC in an almost 30-minute monologue. It went viral immediately, accumulating more than 15 million views within 16 hours, stoked by intimidation from the Trump administration. This segment featured Kimmel’s thoughts on the situation that led to his suspension, as well as his vigorous affirmation of the importance of free speech.
Kimmel responded to critics regarding the remarks he made about the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, stating, “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what – it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual.” He later added, “That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both.”
True, Kimmel’s show has its own challenges, but it still consistently wins around 1.6 million viewers each night. Ever since, it has been able to return to its normal Wednesday night time slot. And yet, the broadcast was still missing on the 28 Nexstar-owned affiliates and 38 Sinclair-owned affiliates.
The fun won’t end there. The former president has already publicly blasted Kimmel for the guy’s lighthearted style of comedy and unfiltered comments. In a statement yesterday, Trump criticized ABC for letting Kimmel return to the air. This historical and continuing struggle has been characterized by important monetary exchanges. This is not the first time Trump has made a big donation to Kimmel after the late-night host lit into him with unflattering comedy.
Kimmel’s commitment to addressing our most pressing issues with a fun, rough-around-the-edges attitude is alive and well. “Let’s stop letting these politicians tell us what they want and tell them what we want,” he asserted during one of his monologues.