Trump wanted Jimmy Kimmel cancelled. He gave him his highest ratings in 10 years instead.

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Kimmel’s first show back after being suspended for a week drew nearly four times his normal audience to watch him deliver a defense of First Amendment rights

Published: Sept. 24, 2025 at 8:15 p.m. ET

Jimmy Kimmel’s free-speech fight with the Trump administration has turned out to be a ratings bonanza.

The late-night host drew an audience of 6.26 million viewers for his first show back Tuesday night after a weeklong suspension over remarks he made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that angered the White House.

About the Author

Lukas I. Alpert writes about the media and entertainment industries for MarketWatch. He previously worked for the Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, New York Post and the Associated Press. In 2019, he was part of a WSJ team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. You can follow him on Twitter@lalpert1.

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