Jimmy Kimmel has experienced a surge in popularity surpassing that of President Donald Trump, following his controversial comments regarding Trump’s acquaintance, Charlie Kirk, which led to a temporary suspension of his talk show last month.
A recent survey conducted by The Economist and YouGov, polling 1,656 U.S. adults on their views of Jimmy and Trump, revealed that 44% of respondents held a favorable opinion of the ABC host, while 41% viewed him unfavorably, with 15% undecided. In contrast, only 41% of participants viewed Trump favorably, while 54% had an unfavorable opinion, and 5% were undecided. The poll clearly indicates that Jimmy was more favorably perceived compared to Trump.
The public backlash against ABC and its parent company, Disney, was notable, with protests arising over the indefinite suspension of Jimmy’s self-titled talk show.
The survey by The Economist and YouGov was conducted between September 26 and 29, following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17.
Following Nexstar’s decision to preempt Jimmy’s show indefinitely on September 17, citing objections to his comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing, Disney announced that the late-night program would be replaced with alternative programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.
The suspension of Jimmy’s show was prompted by his remarks referring to a “MAGA gang” attempting to deflect blame from the individual who killed Charlie Kirk, sparking outrage and calls for boycotts of ABC and Disney. After a week off-air and amid widespread protests and petitions, Disney announced on September 22 that Jimmy would return to late-night television.
Although Jimmy Kimmel Live! resumed on September 23 for many viewers, ABC stations under Nexstar and Sinclair broadcasting delayed the show’s reinstatement, airing it on September 26.
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