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Rather than ignore the obvious, Jimmy Fallon leaned into it. As Jimmy Kimmel Live! roared back from suspension Tuesday night, Fallon greeted his NBC crowd with a line that doubled as both an icebreaker and a ratings reality check.
“If you’ve tuned in to see my remarks about my recent suspension, you’re watching the wrong Jimmy… Dad.”
The joke marked Fallon’s first acknowledgment of Kimmel’s return. On Monday, as other late-night hosts celebrated news of his ABC comeback, Fallon stayed quiet.
Kimmel’s homecoming was one of the most anticipated late-night episodes in years, with industry watchers expecting a massive audience—at least in the markets carrying it (two of ABC’s largest station groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live! across their affiliates, leaving more than 20 percent of the network’s reach unable to see the episode as scheduled).
Fallon, easily the least political among the four current network late-night hosts, did not emerge unscathed himself this past week. In a social media post celebrating Kimmel’s ouster, Donald Trump referenced Stephen Colbert’s cancellation, writing “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
Neither Fallon nor Seth Meyers acknowledged Trump’s remarks the following night, but both praised Kimmel—then still suspended—with Fallon telling his viewers of the swirling controversy,”To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on—no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he is a decent, funny, and loving guy. And I hope he comes back.”
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