Entertainment
Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings jumped to their highest in years with his return to ABC’s airwaves
The much-anticipated episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following the comedian’s return from his suspension drew a broadcast audience about four times larger than average, according to Nielsen ratings data. This was despite the late-night show being preempted by about a quarter of all ABC affiliate TV stations in the U.S.
Tuesday’s show drew an estimated 6.26 million total broadcast viewers, Disney said in a news release Wednesday, per numbers compiled by Nielsen, an audience measurement firm. The data does not include those who watched the episode on streaming platforms.
For comparison, according to numbers provided to CBS News by a Disney spokesperson, Kimmel’s show averaged 1.42 million broadcast viewers during its 2024-25 season — less than a quarter of what it saw on Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s broadcast also drew a 0.87 rating in the coveted demographic of adults ages 18 to 49, Disney said, the highest for a single episode of Kimmel’s show since March 2015. The show averaged a 0.13 rating for that age group last season, Disney said.
Kimmel’s monologue also drew more than 26 million views on YouTube and other social platforms, according to Disney, which owns ABC. In it, he showed a video clip of President Trump criticizing the show, saying it “had no ratings.”
The host responded: “Well, I do tonight.”
The late-night show was temporarily preempted last week following comments Kimmel made during a Sept. 15 monologue regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said at the time.
In a Sept. 17 interview, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr called Kimmel’s remarks “some of the sickest conduct possible,” and said there was a “path forward for suspension over this.” Within hours of Carr’s comments, two major station owners, Nexstar and Sinclair, announced they were preempting Kimmel’s show indefinitely from their affiliates, while ABC also announced that it was “indefinitely” suspending the show.
Nexstar has a deal pending to purchase fellow station operator Tegna for $6.2 billion, and needs the FCC’s approval for it to go through.
While ABC announced Monday that it had made the decision to bring Kimmel back to the airwaves, both Nexstar and Sinclair said this week that the show will continue to be preempted indefinitely.
Nexstar said it is “continuing to evaluate the status” of the show. It operates 33 ABC affiliates, while Sinclair runs 38 ABC stations. According to Disney, the two media companies account for ABC stations in about 23% of the U.S. market, including in large cities such as Nashville and Seattle.
In his monologue Tuesday, while he did not issue a blanket apology over his comments, Kimmel said that “it’s important to me as a human, and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
In a Sept. 17 Truth Social post following Kimmel’s suspension, Mr. Trump — who has railed against late-night hosts for years going back to his first administration, and has specifically criticized their ratings — wrote on Truth Social that “[t]he ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.”
Before the show aired Tuesday, Mr. Trump again took to social media to write that “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!”
contributed to this report.
King Charles and Queen Camilla took a moment away from palace life to celebrate two decades of craftsmanship at the 20th anniversary exhibition of Turquoise Mountain.
The event, held at The Garrison Chapel within Chelsea Barracks, highlighted artisans from Afghanistan, Jordan, Myanmar, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.
Among the demonstrations, Saudi palm weaver Fayza Al-Mansouri showcased her intricate technique to the King, who declared, “I’m so proud of you all,” and quizzed her on whether she had learned the craft from her mother.
The royal couple were later invited to participate themselves, applying the final touches of mother-of-pearl inlay to beautifully crafted Syrian jewellery boxes, each personalised with their ciphers.
Moataz Hammoush said seeing the King handle the delicate inlay was “a mix of pride and disbelief,” it had opened doors to markets and designers he could never have reached on his own.
At the exhibition, Mrs Stewart, representing the charity, paid tribute to the King’s vision: “This is the community, the monarch, that you have brought together. No one else who could have created this project.”
Amy Schumer had different ideas for the Valentine’s Day this year after she divorced her husband Chris Fischer, ending their seven years of marriage.
The 44-year-old actress and comedian took to Instagram on Saturday, February 14, and shared a picture of Stories, showing off her plans for the day.
The Trainwreck star shared a selfie posing in front of her “crying corner” which she designed for her Valentine’s Day celebration.
Schumer told her followers, “Give yourself all the love today,” as she preached self-love after entering her single era.
The comedian made an elaborate corner with tissues, two water bottles, and a banner which read “crying corner.”
At the end of last year, Schumer shared a candid glimpse into her New Year’s Eve celebration as a divorced woman after she announced the mutual decision she and Fischer came to.
On December 12, 2025, Schumer wrote, “Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years. We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son. We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time.”
The couple who share son Gene, concluded, “Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever.”
Islamabad’s district administration has made it mandatory to secure registration and official approval for all street Iftar arrangements as the country prepares to welcome Ramadan 2026.
The district administration cited security concerns in the federal capital as the reason for the decision, a spokesperson for the district administration told Geo News on Sunday.
All individuals interested in setting up street Iftar arrangements can submit their applications with complete details, the official added.
The spokesperson added that the administration will ensure site identification and provision of facilities, including security.
The spokesperson said that assistant commissioners will inspect proposed locations before issuing permits, confirming that 18 applications have already been received from across the federal capital.
The spokesperson vowed that no public Iftar arrangement would be allowed in any part of the federal capital without registration.
The announcement comes just days ahead of the holy month, which is expected to begin on February 19.
The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) has forecast that the crescent for Ramadan 1447 Hijri is likely to be visible on February 18.
The new moon will be born on February 17 at 5:01pm Pakistan Standard Time, with astronomical parameters indicating favourable visibility conditions the following evening, the Suparco stated.
Sources within the Ministry of Science and Technology had indicated a strong likelihood that Ramadan will begin simultaneously in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this year.
While the new moon of Ramadan 1447AH is expected to be born on February 17, it is unlikely to be visible on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, the United States, Africa, Europe and other regions of the world.
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