Jimmy Kimmel on Ratings, Stephen Colbert as Guest Host and Millionaire
Variety • • entertainment
Key Points:
- ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” achieved a record-breaking June with an average of 3.15 million viewers, marking the best monthly audience in its 23-year history, partly boosted by the cancellation of CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
- The show saw a 17% increase in viewers from May and a 109% rise in adults aged 18-49, making it the best demo performance in six years, and the entire season was the most-watched since 2014-2015 despite earlier controversies.
- Jimmy Kimmel is currently on summer break with guest hosts filling in, and he invited Stephen Colbert to guest host, but Colbert declined as it felt premature.
- Kimmel returns to primetime hosting a new celebrity edition of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” starting July 22 on ABC, featuring celebrity pairs competing for charity with notable contestants like Ben Affleck, Larry David, and others.
- The new season emphasizes celebrity chemistry and strategy, with Kimmel highlighting the dynamics between pairs and the fun, community aspect of the show compared to his late-night program.
