In style tv host Jimmy Kimmel has revealed that he has misplaced at the very least half of his fanbase after cracking jokes in opposition to former president Donald Trump.
“I have lost half of my fans—maybe more than that,” Kimmel stated in an interview with Stitcher’s “Naked Lunch” podcast. “Ten years ago, among Republicans, I was the most popular talk show host, at least according to the research that they did.” The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” present has been airing on ABC since 2003.
When Trump was first working for workplace, executives at ABC had “hinted” that Kimmel can be higher off backing away from anti-Trump jokes.
Nevertheless, the comic insisted that he’s not going to cease joking about Trump regardless of agreeing that extra impartial comedy would assist the rankings of his present.
Kimmel instructed executives that they will rent another person to host the present if they need however based on Kimmel, they backed off after they knew he was “serious.”
Claiming that he was “proud” to talk in opposition to Trump, Kimmel went on to joke about nonetheless airing reveals when the previous president “goes to jail.”
The comic additionally defended present president Joe Biden, saying that he’s a “decent human being” it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks about him. Biden is “certainly not evil” and people who imagine so have gotten “some real problems,” Kimmel stated.
Kimmel’s present has struggled to get viewers in latest instances, with rankings considerably dropping in the course of the previous few years. In 2016, Jimmy Kimmel Stay garnered 2.2 million viewers on common, a quantity that has declined by over a 3rd to 1.5 million in 2022.
Speak Present Viewers Drop, Bias In opposition to Trump
Kimmel isn’t the one discuss present host who has seen viewers numbers fall up to now years. Different liberal hosts have additionally seen a decline in viewership.
NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” which attracted round 1.5 million viewers in 2016 now solely has a viewership of 786,000, based on Fox. CBS’ “The Late Late Show” has misplaced 36 p.c of viewers throughout this era. Jimmy Fallon, the host of “Tonight Show” has seen viewership decline by virtually 60 p.c.
In 2018, Fallon apologized for ruffling Trump’s hair throughout a cordial interview weeks earlier than the 2016 presidential race. Anti-trump critics claimed that the motion had humanized Trump and helped him within the elections.
Sketch comedy program “Saturday Night Live,” which has been very biased in the way it treats Trump as in opposition to Biden, has additionally suffered a drop in viewers numbers.
Based on an evaluation by Fox Information, the present solely satirized Biden thrice throughout his first yr in workplace. In distinction, Trump was satirized at the very least 11 instances in his first yr. In 2017, the present used to common 7.4 million viewers, which has now fallen to 4.7 million.
When you discovered this text attention-grabbing, please think about supporting conventional journalism
Our first version was printed 25 years in the past from a basement in Atlanta. At this time, The Epoch Occasions brings fact-based, award-winning journalism to thousands and thousands of Individuals.
Our journalists have been threatened, arrested, and assaulted, however our dedication to impartial journalism has by no means wavered. This yr marks our twenty fifth yr of impartial reporting, free from company and political affect.
That’s why you’re invited to a limited-time introductory provide — simply $1 per week — so you’ll be able to be part of thousands and thousands already celebrating impartial information.