Jimmy Kimmel’s recent late‑night return episode drew around 6.2–6.3 million viewers on ABC, which is several times higher than his usual audience of roughly 1.5–2 million viewers per night.

Quick answer

  • His big “return” night in late 2025 pulled about 6.2–6.3 million broadcast viewers in the U.S., a record for his show in the last decade.
  • On more typical recent weeks, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has been averaging around 1.5–2.2 million total viewers.

So if you saw people talking about “Kimmel’s ratings,” they were most likely referring to that spike to a bit over six million.

A bit more context

The huge “return” episode

After a short suspension in 2025, Kimmel’s first night back was a ratings event:

  • Disney/ABC reported about 6.26–6.3 million viewers for that comeback episode.
  • That was roughly three to four times his normal nightly audience.
  • It was described as his biggest regularly scheduled episode audience in around ten years.

In other words, that one night turned into an appointment‑TV moment, not just standard late‑night viewing.

His normal late‑night numbers

Outside that spike, his show’s viewership looks more like this:

  • A 2024–2025 season average in the mid‑1 million range per episode (around 1.5–1.8 million), with some weeks higher.
  • A highlighted week in late September 2025 averaged about 2.2 million viewers and led its time slot over Colbert and Fallon.
  • Among adults 18–49, he has often been competitive or leading, even when total viewers are modest.

So when someone asks “how many viewers did Kimmel have,” the precise answer depends on whether they mean:

  • That big return night → about 6.2–6.3 million.
  • A typical recent night or week → around 1.5–2.2 million.

TL;DR: Kimmel’s headline‑making return episode had roughly 6.2–6.3 million viewers, but his regular late‑night audience recently sits closer to 1.5–2.2 million.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.