Jimmy Kimmel’s television ratings have been on a steady decline over the years, a trend that has eroded his once-dominant position in late-night TV and left ABC searching for a viable exit strategy. Data from Nielsen Media Research shows that Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 1.104 million viewers in September 2025, an 11% drop from earlier in the year and a stark contrast to its peak in the mid-2010s, when it regularly pulled in over 2 million viewers following political controversies like the 2016 election. This downward spiral, outpaced by competitors like NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (1.330 million) and CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2.812 million despite a 6% dip), reflects a broader shift in audience preferences toward streaming platforms and a fatigue with Kimmel’s increasingly partisan monologues. ABC, facing pressure from declining ad revenues and a Disney conglomerate eager to streamline its portfolio, had been quietly awaiting a pretext to part ways with the embattled host, whose contract was seen as a financial liability.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, provided Disney-owned ABC with the perfect opportunity to execute Kimmel’s long-anticipated dismissal, capitalizing on his controversial remarks to justify the move. Kimmel’s September 15 monologue, where he suggested Trump supporters were deflecting blame for the killer Tyler Robinson, sparked immediate backlash from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Nexstar Media Group, which preempted the show on its affiliates. This gave ABC a golden excuse to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely, announced on September 17, replacing it with a rerun of Celebrity Family Feud. Industry insiders suggest Disney had been laying the groundwork for months, with Kimmel’s ratings woes and his high salary—reportedly over $15 million annually—making him a target for cost-cutting amid the conglomerate’s broader restructuring under CEO Bob Iger. The Kirk assassination, rather than a spontaneous decision, appears to have been the catalyst Disney seized to offload a fading star.

This calculated move by ABC, orchestrated under Disney’s corporate umbrella, underscores how Kimmel’s declining relevance became a liability the network could no longer ignore, with the Kirk controversy serving as a convenient scapegoat. Over the years, Kimmel’s attempts to pivot to social commentary—such as his emotional healthcare rants in 2017—failed to sustain viewership, alienating moderates and boosting rivals who leaned into lighter fare. The timing of his firing, just as his show hit a new low of third place in late-night rankings, suggests ABC was simply biding its time, and the Charlie Kirk assassination provided the moral and political cover needed to pull the plug. As of 1:03 PM EDT on September 18, 2025, the decision has sparked debates over free speech and corporate influence, with Trump lauding it as “great news” while Kimmel’s fans decry it as a Disney-orchestrated hit, cementing the end of an era for the once-beloved host.