Jimmy Kimmel’s Triumphant Late-Night Return Breaks Records

Spread love

After weeks of suspension amid a Trump-stoked censorship battle, Kimmel’s fiery monologue racks up record-breaking online views, delivering a stinging rebuke to MAGA politics and conservative broadcasters.

By TRH Global Affairs Desk

NEW DELHI, September 25, 2025 — Jimmy Kimmel has staged one of the most spectacular comebacks in late-night history. His first night back after a politically charged suspension shattered viewership records, with his monologue alone attracting over 17 million views across YouTube and Instagram within hours. On YouTube, the clip has already passed 13 million views in just 13 hours, putting it on track to become Kimmel’s most-watched monologue ever.

For context, the median YouTube viewership for one of Kimmel’s uploads is just 240,000, according to CNN’s Harry Enten. By comparison, his previous all-time most-watched clip—an emotional 2017 segment about his son’s birth and health struggles—stands at 14 million views. That record is expected to fall within a day.

Even without official Nielsen numbers, industry insiders expect Kimmel’s broadcast TV ratings to exceed his typical 1.6 million nightly viewers, making it his most-watched episode ever. Reuters reports that the show pulled 6.3 million live viewers despite being blacked out by several conservative-leaning local affiliates.

The show’s content matched the buzz. Kimmel opened with a blistering takedown of Donald Trump and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, accusing them of orchestrating efforts to silence him and other late-night hosts. “The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs,” Kimmel said, calling Carr “Trump’s hitman” and blasting their actions as “unAmerican.”

Kimmel argued that the fight was not about comedy but about fundamental freedoms: “If we don’t have free speech, then we just don’t have a free country. It’s as simple as that… If this most fundamental right is allowed to perish, then the rest of our rights and liberties will topple just like dominoes.”

Kimmel’s suspension became a flashpoint in America’s ongoing cultural and political battles. His clashes with Donald Trump date back to the first term of the US President, with Kimmel often using his platform to lampoon Trump’s policies and scandals. But tensions escalated recently when Trump, emboldened by allies at conservative broadcasters like Sinclair, openly pressured networks to cancel Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers.

The controversy intensified when FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr—widely seen as aligned with Trump—was accused of leaning on affiliates to drop Kimmel’s show, citing “bias” and “disrespect for the presidency.” Critics called it a naked attempt at political censorship.

While conservative media painted Kimmel as part of the “liberal Hollywood elite,” his suspension sparked an outcry from free speech advocates, celebrities, and fans who warned of dangerous precedent. His return this week not only vindicated that support but also turned into a cultural moment—one that may redefine late-night television in the Trump era.

Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn