ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” drew 2.4 million viewers for its Tuesday night midterm election episode last week, setting a record for the show’s coverage of a midterm election. Nielsen figures showed gains over its previous midterm broadcast in both total audience and its rating among adults ages 18 to 49.
The election-night audience increased 53% compared with the program’s Nov. 8, 2022, midterm telecast, which attracted 1.6 million viewers. The latest result gave the show its biggest midterm election telecast audience ever, while adding to a season that has seen its overall viewership rise from the comparable period a year earlier.
Among adults ages 18 to 49, the Tuesday episode earned a 0.32 rating. That represented a 68% increase over the 0.19 recorded for the 2022 midterm broadcast. The gains meant that the program’s latest midterm episode surpassed its previous election comparison in both of the audience measures reported.
Excluding episodes with NFL, NBA or NHL broadcasts as lead-ins, the episode delivered the show’s highest rating among adults ages 18 to 49 in more than a year. Its previous high under that comparison came on Sept. 23, 2025, when Kimmel returned to television following his controversial suspension over remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The midterm telecast also came during a week in which “Jimmy Kimmel Live” led its late-night competitors. Across the full week, the program averaged 2.5 million viewers and a 0.23 rating among adults ages 18 to 49, placing it first in both categories. It has held that position for each of the broadcast season’s first seven weeks.
For the season to date, the show is averaging 2.5 million viewers, a 16% increase from the 2.1 million it averaged at the same point last season. That comparison extends its pattern of audience growth: this is the fifth consecutive season in which the program has posted a year-over-year viewership increase by the seventh week of the broadcast calendar.
The results leave Season 25 on course to become Kimmel’s most-watched season in 12 years, dating back to 2014-2015. That remains a projection based on the season’s performance so far, with the first seven weeks showing both a larger audience than a year earlier and a continued lead over late-night rivals.
