After being suspended for over a week, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned to television on Tuesday night. The show was temporarily removed from the air by the Disney-owned ABC after host Jimmy Kimmel made controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. However, its ratings surged, with Nielsen reporting that it achieved the highest viewership in the last decade.

The program drew 6.26 million total viewers despite preemptions affecting 23% of U.S. TV households, according to data from Nielsen. This marked a significant increase compared to its average viewership of 1.42 million during the 2024-2025 season. The pretaped show addressed Kimmel’s suspension, with the host stating, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” while acknowledging the controversy surrounding his comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Kimmel’s monologue, which lasted over 28 minutes, garnered more than 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms. The show also secured its highest rating among adults aged 18 to 49 in over a decade. Kimmel joked about the backlash from political figures, saying, “Backfired bigly,” after noting that efforts to cancel him instead drove audiences to watch.

Local station owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair preempted the show’s return on Tuesday, leaving many markets without access via local channels. Together, their networks own roughly 70 ABC affiliate stations. While Disney confirmed the preemptions impacted less than a quarter of the country, Nexstar stated it was still evaluating whether to resume broadcasting the program, citing ongoing discussions with Disney about aligning with community interests.