A possible reason for the recent rise in viewership for ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” could be the cancellation of CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” In June, just before host Jimmy Kimmel took his usual summer break, the show achieved a milestone by averaging 3.15 million viewers, marking its highest monthly audience in its 23-year history.
Kimmel humorously acknowledged CBS’s decision, telling Variety, “The ratings are very strong, which we are very grateful to CBS for their wisdom. We were doing pretty well before that, but that really helped.”
The shift in audience may suggest that fans of Colbert’s show are finding a new home. Kimmel quipped, “I’ve always thought of our show as an orphanage.”
Compared to May, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” saw a 17% increase in viewership, reaching 2.69 million, and a 109% rise in the 18 to 49 demographic, with ratings improving from 0.18 to 0.37. This marked the show’s best performance in this demographic since April 2020.
This season has been notable for “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” despite a controversy in September that led to Kimmel’s brief suspension. The full TV season saw a 34% rise in total viewers, averaging 2.62 million compared to 1.95 million previously, and a 32% increase in the 18 to 49 demographic, with ratings moving from 0.17 to 0.22. It was the most-watched season since 2014-2015.
This success underscores that, despite the shift toward digital platforms like YouTube, many viewers still tune in to late-night shows on traditional TV. Kimmel remarked, “It’s silly how people go wild about a podcast that’s No. 5, and the numbers still don’t even compare to a television show. There’s still a lot of people watching late night television, and I include the other shows in that. And there are still a lot of people looking at our shows on YouTube the next day, and there’s a lot of people who are interested in what we have to say. They may just may not necessarily be watching it on their TV, but it seems like a little bit of people are coming back to their old friend television.”
During Kimmel’s summer hiatus, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” featured guest hosts such as Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Ike Barinholtz, Colman Domingo, Rosie O’Donnell, and Jelly Roll. Kimmel also revealed to Variety that he invited Colbert to guest host, but Colbert declined.
“Of course, I asked him, and I think it feels premature,” Kimmel said. “But I told him, ‘anytime you want to host, it doesn’t matter if it’s the summer, I’ll gladly step aside.”
While Kimmel takes a break from late night, he returns to primetime on Wednesday, July 22, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC with a new season of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” featuring celebrity contestants.
“I like doing it, it’s a lot easier than my show, and the drama makes it fun,” Kimmel said. “It really feels like batting practice, somebody’s throwing balls and you’re just swinging. You don’t have to sit there and figure out what you’re going to do, what you’re going to say. There’s no writing involved, really. It’s nice to just be there, relying on your wits. People can watch as a community, you can watch it with your kids.”
Celebrities, as in previous seasons, will compete in pairs to win money for charity.
“I think people are more decisive when they’re playing alone,” Kimmel said. “Because there’s no one to talk to, and there’s no one to discuss with. I think they take more time when it’s a duo, for sure.
Ben Affleck joins game show champion Jamie Ding (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Disney
This season begins with Ben Affleck teaming up with “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding, a pairing reminiscent of last year’s opener with Matt Damon and “Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings.
“I’m not sure Ben knew that he was paired with a champion when he agreed to do the show,” Kimmel said. “But when I told him, he seemed surprised and delighted. I think he was prepared to do it on his own. He’s very smart, that Ben Affleck.”
Also featured in the premiere episode are Larry David and his daughter Cazzie David.
“Larry David was every bit as Larry David as you would hope he would be,” Kimmel said. “He showed up questioning why he was there, trying to figure that out. He was perturbed at every question. But I think he had fun. He played with his daughter, Cazzie, and she was nervous, and that’s always hard when it’s a family team, because you tend to know the same stuff. I felt like I was on an episode of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ which is how I feel every single time I’m with Larry.”
Larry David teams up with his daughter, Cazzie David (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Disney
Here are a few more contestants this season, and Kimmel’s thoughts:
Colin Jost & Michael Che: “I don’t really know those guys. I learned that Michael is very decisive, and Colin is not, and in a battle of between the decisive and indecisive, the indecisive always wins. Colin was really weighing things out. In general on ‘Millionaire,’ whatever your first thought is is probably the right answer unless you really have no idea. But people have a tendency to blurt out what they think is the answer, and then they take a long time talking themselves out of that correct answer, and usually they’ll come back to the correct answer, but sometimes they talk themselves out of it.”
Michael Keaton & Jon Lovett: “They met on the set. We asked Michael Keaton to do it, and he said yes. And then we asked, who do you want your partner to be, and he listens to ‘Pod Save America.’ So he picked John Lovett, and, and they had fantastic chemistry. Even though they didn’t know each other, I think John is friends with Michael’s son, so there was a connection there.”
Will Forte & Taran Killam: “Hilarious together, really funny together.”
Brad Paisley & Clayton Kershaw: “A fun duo. Clayton Kershaw did well. Sometimes you worry with the athletes, but he was great.”
Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel: “Very smart and very funny ont heshow.”
Tig Notaro & Pete Holmes: “She pretends to be less smart than she actually is, and it made for a very funny dynamic between them.”
Jason Alexander & Wayne Knight: “Whenever you see people who spent a lot of time together and who have a lot of shared experiences, it’s fun. It’s also just kind of fun to see them together, especially if you watched ‘Seinfeld.’ It always reminds me of the episode of ‘Cheers’ where Cliff went on ‘Jeopardy.’”
Timothy Simons & Jackie Tohn: “It’s best when they argue.”
Billy Porter & Leslie Odom Jr.: “Billy was Leslie’s teacher in musical theater school, and so that was interesting, that dynamic between them. Like a mentor/mentee situation.”
Jesse Eisenberg & Paul Giamatti: “We ask them beforehand what their areas of expertise are, just to give us something to talk about. Jesse Eisenberg and Paul Giamatti have deep areas of knowledge. They are built for this game, those two, and they were great together. They just made a movie together, so they were really in the pocket as far as chemistry goes.”
Sarah Jane Nader & Brooks Nader: “Not related to Ralph.”
Other pairings include Michael Kosta & Wendi McLendon-Covey, Awkwafina & Paul Feig, and Krysten Ritter & Sarah Shahi.
“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” from Sony Pictures Television’s Embassy Row and Kimmelot, is executive produced by Michael Davies and Jimmy Kimmel. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television’s Embassy Row and Kimmelot.
