Kimmel Has Big Ratings Despite Blackouts

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel is back on his ABC late-night show, but not everywhere. It’s still a mystery when or if viewers in cities such as Washington, Seattle and St. Louis will be able to see him again on their televisions. ABC stations owned by the Nexstar and Sinclair corporations took Kimmel off the air last week on the same day the network suspended him for comments that angered supporters of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Those stations kept him off the air Tuesday, when ABC lifted the suspension. ABC is reporting nearly 6.3 million people tuned in to the broadcast alone, despite the blackouts in many cities. As is often the case with late-night hosts’ monologues, there was a larger audience online, with more than 15 million people watching Kimmel’s opening remarks on YouTube by Wednesday evening. ABC says more than 26 million people watched Kimmel’s return on social media, including YouTube.  Typically, he gets about 1.8 million viewers each night on television. The numbers released by ABC do not include viewership from streaming services.