There’s been a lot written about Jimmy Kimmel Live! in recent weeks, as the popular late night show was suspended in the wake of Charlie Kirk comments, only to return to giant ratings (and then fall off the cliff again). The trajectory of late night TV in general has been wild in recently years, but one stat about the state of late night, the involvement of YouTube, and the numbers Kimmel is seeing in general absolutely just blew my mind.
There was a big debate earlier this year when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert got canceled. Some reports at the time relayed Colbert’s political nature and the then-upcoming merger got him into hot water, while other reports said The Late Show’s fiscal issues led to CBS making the decision. In a wide-ranging interview, his fellow late night star Jimmy Kimmel has said “losing so much money” is not possibly legit. He also said YouTube has killed the margins for late night TV.
First, I Was Shocked By The Big Gap Between YouTube And The Ratings
Speaking with Bloomberg Television, Kimmel opened up about how YouTube has been an important part of the late night strategy in recent years. In fact, when Kimmel was taken off the air and then subsequently reinstated by ABC, he saw some of the highest ratings in years. But the one fact that really stuck with me and shook me up is how much it pales in comparison to how the clips from his return did on YouTube.
His return to late night opening monologue landed 22 million viewers… on YouTube. In addition, 6.3 million people tuned in to watch Jimmy Kimmel’s return on the air. Obviously, it’s easier to watch a 10-minute monologue than to tune in for an entire episode, but I cannot stress enough how startling that discrepancy is.
Even more so when you consider that a typical episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live nabs about 1.6 million total viewers, if the numbers from the 2024-2025 TV schedule are any indication, while the more popular YouTube monologues nab anywhere in the 3-5 million views range. Any way you slice it, the YouTube numbers often look pretty solid compared to what the show is doing in its traditional medium, TV.
Jimmy Kimmel Loves YouTube, Despite It Having ‘Killed Late Night TV’
The mainstay host spoke about some of the many challenges late night is facing right now, noting YouTube cutting into his ratings (and ability to then make money off of advertisements) as one of them. Though it’s not the sole reason late night is getting “killed,” he did feel it was worth touching on.
I love YouTube and I love being on YouTube, because all you really want, deep down, is for as many people to see your stuff as you can. And I know that it has hurt –because it’s so easy to watch the monologue on YouTube now – I know that it has hurt the ratings. Not just for our show but all the shows, and maybe that’s what has killed late night TV. More likely the fact our lead-ins are a tenth of what they were when they started.
Despite the challenges the TV landscape has dealt with in the last decade plus, late night TV is still an institution. It’s still a great place to uncover new TV shows and movies, and to hear fun stories from our favorite celebrities. As Kimmel himself said in the interview, because of YouTube, more people outside of the U.S. can also access his show’s content, which he appreciates. Still, he’s not going to make changes due to the algorithm.
I never have changed my show to make it for YouTube. I’m very conscious of the fact ABC pay for the show and YouTube pays nothing, and YouTube gets to sell it and keep half the money. that’s quite a deal for them, it really is. But I’ve never made the show for YouTube.
This seemingly has some impact, and there was one other fact that had me shocked. Partway through the interview, the Bloomberg journalist, Lucas Shaw, mentioned that while Kimmel dominates on YouTube more so than on network TV these days, he’s not even close to being one of the main YouTube revenue earners. Comparing The Late Show to something like Mr. Beast’s YouTube eyeball shares is actually kind of a joke, and while Kimmel doesn’t seem jealous, I don’t think there’s one fact that has come up here that proves the late night landscape is waning more than that one does.
How’s the buttoned up host supposed to compete with a YouTube billionaire who posts content like renting out Disneyland, anyway?