Jimmy Kimmel’s Second Night Back Was Almost as Deranged as His First
Kimmel's second show didn't pump much hope for the future of Honesty on Late Night.
Jimmy Kimmel’s second night back on ABC made one thing clear, and it's that he’s desperately holding onto controversy.
Kimmel is capitalizing on all the controversy he garnered after mischaracterizing Charlie Kirk's assassin as a Republican.
ABC took action, and Kimmel found his way back on air Tuesday night in a heavily anticipated monologue, which he mostly used to bash Trump.
So, How Was The Second Night Back…
On Wednesday, instead of moving past the suspension that sidelined him, Kimmel went straight back at President Donald Trump — mocking him over ratings from Tuesday's show, teasing a lawsuit, and leaning into the feud that’s become Kimmel's only lifeline.
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! - "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. EDT and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Monday, March 25, included Bill Hader ("Barry"), Regina Hall ("Little"), and musical guest Gunna. (Randy Holmes via Getty Images) JIMMY KIMMEL
"Has anyone ever been fired for bad ratings on a Wednesday?" he asked. "He does know bad ratings. He has some of the worst ratings any president has ever had. So, on behalf of all of us, welcome to the ‘Crappy Ratings Club,’ Mr. President."
READ: Jimmy Kimmel Returned With More Deflection Than Accountability
The late-night host was yanked off the air Sept. 17 after remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination drew backlash. Kimmel wrongly framed the radicalized alleged killer as a conservative, which was bluntly false.
ABC claimed the suspension was to "avoid inflaming a tense situation."
Tuesday’s comeback drew headlines for its teary 17-minute monologue.
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Tuesday, September 23 included Glen Powell ("Chad Powers"), and musical guest Sarah McLachlan. (Disney/Randy Holmes) JIMMY KIMMEL (Photo by Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
Kimmel insisted, "It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," while blasting Trump and the FCC. He even surprised viewers by thanking ideological opponents, such as OutKick founder Clay Travis, who defended his right to stay on the air.
READ: Jimmy Kimmel Returned With More Deflection Than Accountability
That strategy worked — at least for one night.
More than 6.2 million people tuned in, nearly four times his usual audience and his biggest showing in a decade.
But the spike also underscored how low his baseline has fallen, and critics blasted the tears as "crocodile," pointing out Kirk’s name was mentioned only once.
Affiliates weren’t impressed either: nearly a quarter of ABC stations — many owned by Nexstar and Sinclair — refused to air the show.
By Wednesday, Nexstar was already in talks to bring him back, proof that controversy sells.
Kimmel opened his second night with a wink at the inflated numbers.
"You know, a lot of people watched our show last night. I had so many texts from so many people," he said. "It made me realize how many of my friends are never watching the show at any other time. Tomorrow, I’ll hear from no one."
To critics, like President Trump, who doubted Kimmel's return, he fired back on Night No. 2: "You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe they gave you your job back! We’re even."
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Tuesday, September 23 included Glen Powell ("Chad Powers"), and musical guest Sarah McLachlan. (Disney/Randy Holmes) GLEN POWELL, JIMMY KIMMEL (Photo by Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
He also mocked Trump’s pressure campaign.
"Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC. And you almost have to feel sorry for the people who work for him, who try to clean up the messes. They’ve been bending over backwards."
The centerpiece of the monologue was Kimmel’s prediction that Trump would escalate even further, feeling a bit litigious.
"Next, he’ll try to sue us. And I wanna say, good luck with that. Because we thought about it, we packed the courts. And we have a surprise ace up our sleeve, Mr. Judge Steve Harvey. Survey says, you lose."
Kimmel followed it with another jab: "Sadly, the truth is, no one wants to face Donald Trump in court. That’s where he’s his most flatulent."
Two nights in, the strategy is obvious.
Kimmel has returned to his regular diet of Trump jokes, hoping outrage will keep him relevant.
The audience that swelled his ratings Tuesday was driven by spectacle, not genuine interest.
Those numbers rarely stick.
Disney and ABC know it, affiliates know it, and viewers will see it soon enough.
Kimmel’s contract runs through 2026, which means ABC is stuck with him. He’s milking a feud — and when the feud fades, all Kimmel will have left are the bad ratings he tried to joke away.
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