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The ratings aren’t in yet for Jimmy Kimmel’s return — but his monologue is already the show’s most-watched video of the year on YouTube.
The show’s official YouTube account shared Kimmel’s 28-minute monologue late Tuesday night, and it’s quickly gone viral, amassing over 13 million views so far.
Although the monologue has around 69 million fewer views than Kimmel’s most popular video — “Cast of Avengers: Infinity War Draws their Characters” — it’s a noticeable jump compared to others the late-night show published on YouTube this year.
People are also Googling to see how Kimmel’s return performed, with break-out searches for “what were the ratings for jimmy kimmel last night” and “how many people watched jimmy kimmel tonight.”
Representatives for ABC and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Kimmel’s highly anticipated return aired less than a week after ABC, owned by Disney, suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over Kimmel’s remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who died after being shot on September 10.
After FCC Chair Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel and suggested the agency could get involved, major ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair said they wouldn’t air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on their stations. Despite Disney and ABC bringing Kimmel back, Nexstar and Sinclair have said they would continue not to air Kimmel’s show.
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Kimmel’s initial suspension drew backlash from many, including some prominent conservatives who voiced free speech concerns, though President Donald Trump and many on the right praised the move. Many celebrities and fellow late-night hosts rallied behind Kimmel, while some politicians called the decision a “dangerous escalation.”
Calls to boycott Disney after Kimmel’s suspension led many to cancel their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. (Kimmel appeared to reference the cancellations in his Tuesday monologue, reading aloud instructions for how to reactivate a Disney+ account.)
Trump criticized ABC and Disney in a Truth Social post ahead of Kimmel’s return on Tuesday, writing that he “can’t believe” the host got his “job back.”
During his monologue, Kimmel said Trump “can’t take a joke.”
Kimmel also played a clip of Trump saying the late-night host had “no ratings.”
“Well, I do tonight,” Kimmel quipped.
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