Jimmy Kimmel Credits President Trump for Ratings Surge After Suspension: ‘Couldn’t Have Done It Without You’

Jimmy Kimmel is tipping his hat to President Donald Trump after seeing his late-night show’s ratings soar.

During his Sept. 25 monologue, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host, 57, joked that he owed the president a thank-you for the huge viewership spike that came after his temporary suspension from ABC.

ABC pulled the show on Sept. 17 following Kimmel’s comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. After a six-day hiatus, Disney brought the program back on Sept. 23, where it drew an impressive 6.26 million viewers on traditional television, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. That figure tripled his usual audience.

The episode’s monologue also found massive traction online, hitting 15.9 million YouTube views within 24 hours and climbing to 21.7 million by Friday morning. Kimmel, clearly amused, gave partial credit to Trump.

“This has been a tumultuous week. Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air,” Kimmel said. “Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone. And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.”

Following the nod, Kimmel joked that other programs were starting to take playful shots at Trump as well. He even aired a spoof of Antique Roadshow where an appraiser took random digs at the president while evaluating furniture.

Kimmel also looked ahead to his show’s annual New York trip, joking that they’re “on the move so the FCC can’t get us.” Jimmy Kimmel Live! will broadcast from the Brooklyn Academy of Music from Sept. 29 through Oct. 3, featuring guests including Emily Blunt, Spike Lee, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hanks, Kumail Nanjiani, Bruce Springsteen, and Stephen Colbert.

The controversy began on Sept. 15 when Kimmel addressed Kirk’s fatal shooting. He criticized what he called attempts by “the MAGA gang” to spin the tragedy for political purposes, before showing a clip of Trump changing the subject mid-question to discuss a new White House ballroom. Kimmel quipped, “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction.”

Two days later, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr condemned Kimmel’s remarks, prompting ABC to suspend the host. Disney later said Kimmel’s reinstatement followed “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.” Despite the return, some affiliates owned by Sinclair and Nexstar are still preempting the program.

The suspension came as Nexstar announced a $6 billion deal to acquire Tegna, a move that would expand its reach to 80% of U.S. households. The deal requires approval from the FCC, now overseen by Carr under the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, Trump has been vocal about Kimmel, celebrating his suspension and blasting ABC for bringing him back. On Truth Social, the president called ABC “Fake News,” writing, “A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”

Kimmel, of course, had the last word: “Well, I do tonight.”