Jimmy Kimmel is crediting a rival networks controversial programming shake-up for delivering his own late-night show its strongest monthly audience in more than two decades.
According to Mediaite, Kimmels ABC program averaged 3.15 million viewers in June, the largest monthly audience since the shows 2003 debut, after CBS pulled the plug on Stephen Colberts late-night franchise. Speaking to the outlet, Kimmel offered pointed thanks to his competitors, saying, The ratings are very strong, which we are very grateful to CBS for their wisdom, adding, We were doing pretty well before that, but that really helped.
Pressed on whether Colberts viewers had simply migrated to his show, Kimmel responded with characteristic sarcasm. Ive always thought of our show as an orphanage, he joked, casting his program as a refuge for displaced late-night audiences.
The ratings surge came after Colberts show signed off in May, following CBSs decision to end the long-running franchise. According to Nielsen figures cited in the article, Kimmel then saw a 17% jump in viewers in June and was up 34% from the previous season, making the current run his most-watched season since 2014-15.
CBS announced last July that it would end Colberts program just days after the host publicly criticized Paramount over its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. The settlement resolved Trumps lawsuit alleging that a CBS News program deceptively edited a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
The suspicious timing of the cancellation prompted widespread speculation that Colberts attacks on the corporate parent may have carried consequences, despite CBS insisting the move was purely financial. Kimmel also told the magazine he had invited Colbert to guest-host his show during a summer break, but the comedian declined, leaving late-night viewers to draw their own conclusions about the shifting landscape of a genre long dominated by liberal voices.
Login