Late night host Jimmy Kimmel is facing a full-blown ratings crisis following his suspension over comments about the tragic death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel admitted in his first post-scandal interview that he would “love” to have President Donald Trump on his show, despite a long history of animosity between the two.
The ABC host discussed his comeback during the Bloomberg Screentime Conference, joking, “I don’t know…alright I’ll ask him,” while acknowledging that the President might be wary given past criticisms.
Kimmel defended his remarks on Kirk, saying they were “intentionally and maliciously mischaracterized.”
Trump, who has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! three times including during his 2016 campaign, has repeatedly called for Kimmel and other left-leaning late night hosts to be removed from the air.
Following the suspension of Kimmel’s show, Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” he wrote.
"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to @ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done…" – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/Vhj6DQSssu
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2025
“Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
Kimmel’s ratings have continued to tumble, dropping 71 percent in just one week after his reinstatement.
Jimmy Kimmel’s full comments on Charlie Kirk which led to his show being taken off air indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/Ctg7LL8HWL
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 18, 2025
On October 2, his show drew only 1.9 million viewers, a sharp decline from the 6.5 million who tuned in for his highly publicized return.
Kimmel usually attracts about 1.8 million viewers per night, not including streaming audiences.
The show had been temporarily suspended on September 17 after Kimmel made comments about Kirk’s assassination, prompting outrage across conservative circles.
Kimmel attempted to defend his remarks, claiming that right-wing media took his words out of context.
Jimmy Kimmel on Donald Trump: “That son of a bitch. It’s really unbelievable. I never imagined that we’d ever have a president like this and I hope we don’t have another president like this again” pic.twitter.com/FXgTTZqDh9
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) October 1, 2025
“I just saw it as distortion on the part of some of the right-wing media networks, and I aimed to correct it,” he said.
The suspension lasted less than a week, reinstating Kimmel thanks to protests from viewers who boycotted ABC and Disney products and rallied outside the network’s studios.
Trump was furious about the network’s decision, and lashed out in a post on Truth Social.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was canceled!” the president wrote.
“Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his “talent” was never there.”
However, the damage to his audience has been severe, with his ratings far below pre-suspension levels.
“Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99 percent positive Democrat GARBAGE,” he added.
During his first episode back, Kimmel apologized, stating, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
Later, on October 8, he reiterated that his comments were misrepresented and described the situation as “very unfair to my bosses at Disney,” noting they were trying to correct the record.
Kimmel joked about realizing the severity of the situation when his show was pulled, telling Shaw, “I was like, ‘Well, that’s unusual,'” earning laughter from the audience.
Despite criticism from the entertainment world over his suspension, Kimmel said he had “good conversations” with Disney executives regarding the incident.
Meanwhile, other comedians are under scrutiny for remarks about Kirk’s death.
Former late night host Trevor Noah suggested during a stand-up routine that there was “something funny” about Kirk being assassinated due to his Second Amendment stance, falsely claiming Kirk died “while defending guns.”
Noah mocked restrictions on discussing Kirk, adding, “I mean, there’s nothing funny about it? You can’t say there’s nothing funny about it… because as a comedian, I’m sure there’s something funny about it.”
Noah continued, claiming, “The guy was shot while defending guns. You have to admit, that is an incongruous funny thing that happened. You are there, on stage, and you’re like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns,’ wa-pahhh.”
He criticized the country’s response to Kirk’s death, arguing, “It is pretty crazy that America’s response to the guy getting shot was to limit speech instead of limiting the thing that ended his life.”