Fact check: What were the ratings for Jimmy Kimmel's show before his departure?

1. What people are claiming about "before departure" numbers — a quick inventory

Multiple accounts converge on a similar baseline: the show’s seasonal average in 2024–25 is reported around 1.42 million viewers, and sources frame that as the show’s typical audience immediately prior to the suspension and return. Entertainment-focused outlets emphasized the contrast between that average and the spike on Kimmel’s first night back, calling the 6.26 million figure “about four times” the normal audience ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Other articles mention smaller monthly snapshots — like a September figure of 1.104 million viewers — illustrating that different outlets sometimes cite different short-term samples ^[5].

2. The big spike on return — how it fits the narrative

Media releases from the network and contemporaneous reporting agree that Kimmel’s return episode drew 6.26 million viewers, a substantial outlier compared with the season average and with recent regular ratings. Coverage presented the return as an unusually large one-night audience that stood apart from normal performance, and several outlets used that single-night spike to contrast longer-term trends, noting it did not reflect a lasting ratings reset ^{[1] [2] [3]}. That spike is the reason many headlines emphasized a dramatic rebound, even while analysts cautioned it was likely event-driven.

3. Conflicting percentage-change stories — why numbers diverge

Some reports highlight a dramatic post-return decline — for example, a 64% drop in total viewers and 73% drop in adults 25–54 — while others focus on steadier long-term erosion or modest single-month dips. These differences arise because outlets are citing different baselines: a decline measured from the one-night 6.26 million peak will naturally look massive, while analysis from season averages or month-to-month comparisons yields smaller percentage moves. Metric selection (single episode vs. season average vs. monthly sample) drives divergent headlines and explains apparent contradictions ^{[4] [2] [5]}.

4. The most reliable baseline for "before departure" — season average vs. single-month

The most consistent cross-source figure for the program’s pre-suspension baseline is the 1.42 million season average for 2024–25, reported by multiple outlets and used to contextualize the comeback night. By contrast, single-month snapshots like the September 1.104 million figure offer more granular but potentially volatile perspective. Using the season average reduces noise from short-term swings and better reflects the show’s typical audience prior to the suspension, which is why many analysts treated 1.42 million as the relevant comparator ^{[1] [5]}.

5. What outlets emphasize and what they omit — reading between the lines

Network and entertainment outlets emphasized the comeback’s large audience and portrayed the 6.26 million as evidence of strong interest, while some analytics-focused pieces emphasized that the spike was temporary and that the program’s longer-term trajectory had been downward. Several items about scheduling gaps or canceled episodes did not address ratings at all, focusing instead on operations or personal reasons for hiatuses — coverage choices reflect editorial agendas: promotional framing from network-adjacent reports vs. critical trend analysis from independent media-watch outlets ^{[1] [2] [6] [7]}.

6. How to reconcile the numbers for a clear answer to the question

If the question is strictly “What were the ratings before his departure?” the best-supported, cross-source answer is that Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged about 1.42 million viewers in the 2024–25 season, with shorter-term September figures sometimes cited near 1.10–1.12 million. The one-night return audience of 6.26 million was an outlier that should not be conflated with regular ratings, and percentage-change claims depend heavily on which baseline is chosen (season average vs. single-episode peak) ^{[1] [5] [3]}.

7. Bottom line and caveats to keep in mind

The consolidated evidence shows a clear difference between seasonal baseline performance (≈1.42 million) and an event-driven return spike (6.26 million); any claim about “ratings before departure” should specify whether it refers to a season average or a single-month snapshot because that choice changes the interpretation. Additionally, outlets reporting large percentage drops after the return are calculating change from the peak night rather than from the season baseline, so readers should treat dramatic percentage figures with caution and prefer the season-average baseline for measuring “typical” ratings ^{[2] [4] [1]}.