In a saga that’s as American as apple pie and late-night drama, Jimmy Kimmel’s comeback tour on TV has hit a bit of a snag – kind of like trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube. After a short break following some unfortunate comments, Kimmel returned, armed with tears and a dash of drama. It seemed like a performance worthy of a prime-time soap, not a late-night comedy show. But audiences aren’t buying what he’s selling, and it turns out, neither are the ratings.
Jimmy’s show, once a titan in the world of late-night TV, is now resembling a sitcom where no one’s laughing. His audience saw a whopping 70% drop in viewership, which is more than what’s needed to sink a ship, or in his case, a show. It seems his grand return brought with it not just apologies but also an impressive disappearing act as viewers turned off in droves after his emotional monologue. It led some folks to quickly suggest that the tears were more for Kimmel’s own career woes than the tragic event itself.
It’s fascinating how, just for a moment, Jimmy’s viewership spiked like a rocket at liftoff. But once those dramatic monologues rolled through, ratings fell back down to Earth, leaving his late-night spot looking a bit too much like a ghost town. Even news of his show’s return was heralded as a monumental television event by some media outlets, but the reality is, well, less of a blockbuster and more of a cautionary tale.
Curiously, despite being a comeback vehicle, Kimmel’s ratings have done anything but rebound. He’s pulling in a fraction of what competitor Greg Gutfeld is commanding over at Fox, who consistently delivers laughs without the need to manufacture high-stake narratives. The secret sauce? Gutfeld has figured out how to entertain an audience without alienating half of them. How? By daring to say what others won’t and cracking jokes that aren’t afraid to target anyone, left or right.
As for Kimmel, the journey is far from over, but the road ahead looks bumpy. With production costs looming large and viewership dwindling, one has to wonder if his brand of humor needs a fresh twist or if audiences are now just too savvy to buy into performances that drip with melodrama. Either way, one thing’s for sure: late-night TV is a cutthroat business, and if you let the politics overshadow the punchlines, even the big show hosts have to deal with the small audience blues.
