What have Jimmy Kimmel's ratings been since Trump began his second term?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, none of the sources provide specific ratings data for Jimmy Kimmel's show since Trump began his second term. This represents a significant gap in available information regarding the core question asked. However, the sources do reveal important contextual information about Kimmel's current position in the late-night television landscape and recent controversies surrounding his show.

The analyses indicate that Kimmel currently holds the second-highest ratings among late-night hosts, trailing only Stephen Colbert ^[1]. This positioning suggests that despite various controversies and political tensions, Kimmel maintains a strong viewership base relative to his competitors in the late-night television space. However, this success must be viewed within the broader context of declining ratings across the entire late-night TV genre ^[1], indicating that even successful shows are operating in a challenging media environment.

Recent events have significantly impacted Kimmel's show operations and potentially his ratings. Multiple sources confirm that Kimmel's show was suspended following comments he made about the murder of Charlie Kirk ^{[2] [3]}. This suspension represents a major disruption to the show's regular programming schedule, which could have affected viewership patterns and ratings during this period. The show was subsequently reinstated, with Kimmel returning to address the controversy directly ^[3].

The political dimension of this situation is particularly noteworthy, as President Trump has actively criticized Kimmel's show and called for its cancellation ^{[2] [3]}. This high-profile political pressure adds another layer of complexity to understanding Kimmel's ratings performance, as presidential criticism could potentially influence viewership in either direction - driving away some viewers while attracting others interested in the controversy.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal several critical gaps in information that prevent a complete assessment of Kimmel's ratings performance. Most significantly, there are no actual ratings numbers, viewership statistics, or comparative data that would allow for a quantitative evaluation of the show's performance since Trump's second term began.

The timeline of events is also unclear from the available sources. While we know that Kimmel was suspended and later returned, the specific dates of these events and their relationship to Trump's second term are not established ^{[2] [3]}. This temporal ambiguity makes it impossible to correlate any ratings changes with specific political developments or controversies.

Alternative perspectives on the ratings question are entirely absent. The sources focus heavily on the political controversy and free speech implications but provide no industry analysis, competitor comparisons, or broader market trends that might explain ratings performance. There's no information about how other late-night hosts have performed during the same period, which would provide crucial context for evaluating Kimmel's relative success or failure.

The impact of the suspension on ratings is not addressed in any of the analyses. This represents a significant oversight, as temporary show cancellations typically have measurable effects on audience retention and viewership patterns. Similarly, there's no discussion of how Trump's criticism might have affected viewership, whether positively through increased attention or negatively through audience alienation.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that may not reflect reality: it presupposes that meaningful ratings data exists and is readily available for the specific timeframe mentioned. The question assumes that Trump's second term has been long enough to generate measurable ratings trends, but the analyses suggest this may not be the case or that such data is not publicly accessible.

There's also a potential temporal bias in the framing. The question specifically focuses on the period "since Trump began his second term," which may not represent a sufficient timeframe for meaningful ratings analysis. Television ratings typically require longer observation periods to identify genuine trends versus temporary fluctuations.

The question may inadvertently promote a narrative that political events directly correlate with entertainment ratings, without acknowledging the multiple factors that influence late-night television viewership, including seasonal variations, competing programming, streaming platform competition, and broader changes in media consumption habits.

Most importantly, the question may be unanswerable with current publicly available data, suggesting that any definitive response would necessarily involve speculation or incomplete information rather than factual reporting.