Disney and ABC thought they had pulled off some masterstroke of balance by briefly suspending Jimmy Kimmel for spreading a bald-faced lie about the assassin of Charlie Kirk — and then rushing him right back on air. Instead, what they’ve managed is the rare feat of alienating everyone while accomplishing absolutely nothing.
The incident began when Kimmel, who long ago traded punchlines for talking points, claimed that Kirk’s murderer was a MAGA extremist. The problem? Official reports made it clear the killer had been radicalized by leftist ideology. Two major broadcasters, Sinclair and Nexstar, were so disgusted with Kimmel’s smear that they pressured Disney to act, leading to his short-lived suspension. For one brief moment, it looked like corporate America might actually hold one of its prized cultural warriors accountable.
Oops! 😅
Jimmy Kimmel is not a happy man: His big “comeback” isn’t looking so big after all. Just 3 days back on the air and his ratings have already crashed by 70%.
Jimmy and the networks thought he’d be a free speech martyr and that people on the left and right would tune in… pic.twitter.com/rHI3rzYJlY
— DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 (@1Nicdar) September 28, 2025
But the “punishment” lasted about as long as Kimmel’s monologues feel. Disney promptly caved, putting him back on air, and in the process, exposed just how hollow the whole charade really was. Liberals fumed about “free speech” — conveniently forgetting this was a corporate, not governmental, decision — while conservatives rolled their eyes at yet another example of Hollywood privilege.
Here’s the kicker: Kimmel’s triumphant return flopped spectacularly. His first night back drew 6.5 million viewers. By Thursday, that number cratered to 2.3 million — a jaw-dropping 64% collapse. Among the 25-54 demo, the drop was even steeper, a 73% freefall. Younger viewers tuned out in droves as well, from 1.2 million on Tuesday to just 334,000 by Thursday.
According to Disney – they are bringing back the Jimmy Kimmel show.
Now I am going to make sure my spoon gets more ratings than his show.
Game on.
🥄 > Jimmy Kimmel pic.twitter.com/RPd3XMU63Y
— Steve 🇺🇸 (@SteveLovesAmmo) September 22, 2025
That’s not backlash. That’s rejection.
Kimmel and Disney thought they had engineered a ratings bonanza, turning him into some kind of free speech martyr. Instead, America was briefly curious — and then remembered why they stopped watching him years ago. The bitterness, the hypocrisy, the tired act of disguising political talking points as comedy — it’s all worn thin.
His defenders will cry that this is censorship. It’s not. Nobody’s saying the government should shut him down. But companies aren’t obligated to prop up an underperforming has-been whose main talent these days is slandering conservatives while carrying water for the Democratic Party.
Yes, Jimmy got emotional. So what. He’s emotional for himself because he almost torched his entire career.
Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils. What he’s…
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) September 24, 2025
Kimmel’s contract runs until 2026, but the numbers don’t lie. Unless Disney has a fetish for failure, renewing him would be corporate malpractice. He’s proven he’d rather push an agenda than tell the truth, even when the truth involves the ultimate political horror: a leftist assassinating a conservative for daring to believe in peaceful debate.
