Some fans on X have claimed that Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air, not because of his comments but because of his ratings. One X user claimed that he was only getting 129,000 viewers per show, for which he was being paid $88,235. The user claimed that ABC found it not feasible to pay $0.68 per person watching the show. However, this data doesn’t check out.
Other users added in context that the user was confusing the data of the 18-49 demographics with overall viewership. According to the NY Post, Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 129,000 views in August 2025 in the 18-49 bracket, but his total views in the month amounted to 1.1 million viewers.
While the ratings aren’t too bad and they certainly didn’t lead to the suspension, it appears that Kimmel has been losing viewership significantly this year. The data from Nielsen showed that his viewership in August 2025 dropped 43% from January’s 1.95 million. The household rating of 0.35 this month was his weakest this year.
He has been bleeding viewers in the 18-49 demographics, who make up his regular audience. Here’s the data for January, August, and his peak month in June.
As for his salary, Jimmy Kimmel has a contract with ABC that runs through May 2026. According to reports, he is getting paid $15 million per year. Parade reported his per-episode salary to be $88,235, which is accurate data that the user presented.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Ratings Compared Against Greg Gutfeld, Stephen Colbert, and Others
According to Nielsen data, Jimmy Kimmel was sadly behind his fellow talk show hosts last month. For the month of August 2025, he slipped a record 11% to 1.1 million. Meanwhile, his fellow late-night host, Jimmy Fallon, surprisingly saw a 17% rise in viewership.
Greg Gutfeld of Fox’s Gutfeld! has been dominating talk show ratings in terms of total viewers (via THR). His average viewership during the second quarter of 2025 was 3.3 million viewers. It was also reported that the show was being aired in primetime slots on the West Coast, which gave it an advantage over the other shows.
Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show dominated among the late-night shows, averaging 2.42 million viewers in July and 2.812 million viewers in August (via Late Nighter). Fallon’s viewership jumped from 1.19 million in July 2025 to 1.330 million viewers in September 2025.
While Kimmel’s ratings are commendable, Donald Trump called his show “ratings-challenged.” The U.S. President, who previously gunned for Kimmel, is more than happy that his show is currently off the air.
Hollywood Stars and Fans Have Come in Support of Jimmy Kimmel After ABC’s Suspension
Hollywood stars joined fans in criticizing ABC and its parent company Disney after Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air. His show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was indefinitely suspended over his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death. During the episode that aired on September 15, Kimmel shared in his monologue:
We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.
His comments came across as insensitive, and ABC suspended the program from airing until further notice. A statement from the network read, “We are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform” (via USA Today).
Ben Stiller simply tweeted on X, “This isn’t right!” The Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal posted a photo alongside Kimmel, with the comment, “Yay Gay” (via @pascalfanatic). He even promptly responded to a fan who told him to go back to his country.
Jamie Lee Curtis, who had earlier spoken emotionally about Kirk’s death, shared a post on her Instagram stories. It linked to a 2015 Rolling Stone interview, where Kimmel shared, “I don’t think anybody should be canceled. I really don’t.”
Wanda Sykes, who was Kimmel’s guest on the upcoming episode, criticized the Trump administration for the suspension of Kimmel’s show. She shared on Instagram, “Let’s see. He didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week. But he did end freedom of speech within his first year.”
Stephen Colbert, whose show was cancelled earlier this year, shared on Instagram, “The Late Show stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his staff.” Colbert spoke out against FCC chair Brendan Carr’s statement, sharing, “You know what my community values are, buster? Freedom of Speech.”
Jimmy Fallon, who usually shies away from political talks, opened his Tonight Show by sharing, “The big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC leaving everyone thinking WTF.”
He joked that he got hundreds of sorry messages, including one from his dad, which said: “I’m sorry they canceled your show.” He shared that Kimmel is “a decent, funny, and loving guy,” adding, “I hope he comes back.”
What do you think of Kimmel being taken off the air? Let us know in the comments below!
