Overview

• ABC says the comeback broadcast drew roughly 6.2–6.3 million TV viewers, the show’s best in a decade, with more than 26 million views on social platforms and a YouTube monologue that quickly approached 20 million views.
• Nexstar and Sinclair continue to preempt the program on their ABC affiliates, blocking access in about 20–23% of U.S. households, though full episodes and clips remain available via streaming and social video.
• Kimmel addressed his Sept. 15 remarks about Charlie Kirk, saying he did not intend to make light of the killing and highlighting Erika Kirk’s public forgiveness of the accused shooter.
• President Trump cheered the suspension and later threatened to “test ABC” with potential legal action; Kimmel responded on-air, while a free speech attorney told KTVU the campaign‑finance claim lacks a legal basis.
• FCC chair Brendan Carr publicly urged ABC stations to drop the show, a move critics say chills speech, as some investors, including Needham in a client note reported by Reuters, pressed Disney to emphasize streaming over broadcast.