Overview
- Kimmel opened the final new episode of 2025 with an emotional monologue, calling it a strange, hard year and thanking viewers for their support.
- ABC’s September suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live was reversed within days following public backlash reported to include Disney+ cancellations and industry condemnation.
- Reporting ties the suspension to pressure from the Trump administration and some affiliates, with Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr said to have nudged stations to bench the show.
- Kimmel’s return drew 6.26 million viewers for a 17-minute monologue, the most-watched regular episode in the program’s history, according to Nielsen figures cited in coverage.
- The show remains on the air under a deal that runs through May 2027, with a return slated for 2026 after the year-end break.