Jimmy Kimmel Live’s post-Oscars show ratings top Colbert’s Late Show and The Tonight Show
By Hector Cruz
Jimmy Kimmel’s reaction to the Oscars fiasco gave him a rare ratings win over his late-night competitors.
Viewers tuned in in droves to hear Jimmy Kimmel’s take on the Oscars Best Picture mistake, and the host delivered, providing plenty of behind-the-scenes information about what occurred before and after the now-legendary snafu. That helped propel his ratings past The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which has taken the top spot in recent weeks.
According to Deadline, the episode drew a 2.6 rating in the overnight metered markets, just ahead of The Late Show‘s 2.5 — despite a previously announced visit from the show’s exec producer Jon Stewart — and The Tonight Show’s 2.2. He also came in first in the 18-49 demo with a 0.8, topping Fallon’s 0.7, with the older-skewing Colbert bringing up the rear at a 0.6.
More from Jimmy Kimmel Live
- Jimmy Kimmel gives Mike Lindell a Christmas special as a present
- Watch Jimmy Kimmel’s farewell tribute to George Santos
- Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel reunite tonight
- Eddie Murphy won a $100,000 bet with Richard Pryor but didn’t get paid
- Jimmy Kimmel has no sympathy for a depressed Donald Trump
During his opening monologue, Kimmel talked about the chaos that ensued immediately after La La Land was wrongly awarded the Best Picture award rather than Moonlight, prompting him to awkwardly take to the stage to help sort things out. He also revealed that a final bit involving Matt Damon and their continued feud, which was referenced throughout the night, had to be scrapped due to the mistake. Kimmel went on to point out other flubs that made him wonder whether the entire ceremony was cursed, such as the inclusion of a producer in the “In Memoriam” montage that’s still alive, and the collapse of two large structures during rehearsal that could have severely injured him or someone else on set if it had happened while they were on stage.
The episode also included Guillermo’s continued tradition of hitting the red carpet to talk to celebrities with tequila in hand, and an interview with Best Supporting Actor winner Mahershala Ali. Tonight’s installment will feature Chris Pratt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and NBA player James Harden.
Next: Natalie Portman, Miles Teller read Mean Tweets in Oscars 2017 edition
Jimmy Kimmel Live airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on ABC.