Trump's reaction to Kimmel's return episode boosts ratings
Jimmy Kimmel is back on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after his recent suspension, and his return episode on September 23, 2025, became the show's second-highest rated episode in almost 23 years—drawing 6.26 million viewers and nearly 16 million YouTube views in just a day.
In his September 25 monolog, Kimmel playfully thanked Donald Trump for the surge: "I want to say, we couldn't have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much."
Kimmel was suspended for his comments on Kirk's murder
Kimmel was suspended earlier this month after controversial comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's murder.
Despite being pulled from air in dozens of cities, his comeback episode became the show's second-highest rated in almost 23 years.
The buzz only grew when Trump reacted online with disbelief that ABC brought Kimmel back.
Kimmel fired back at Trump
Kimmel didn't hold back either—he fired back at Trump with, "You can't believe they gave me my job back? I can't believe we gave you your job back," nodding to Trump's run for president again and their long-running public rivalry.