After an “indefinite” suspension, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned Tuesday night to staggering numbers: 6.3 million viewers tuned in, according to preliminary Nielsen data reported by NBC News . That’s nearly four times the show’s typical audience of 1.6 million — and the most-watched regularly scheduled episode in its history, per Variety .
For context, the only episodes to ever top Tuesday’s viewership were special Sunday editions that followed the 2006 Super Bowl and the 2014 Oscars, Variety notes.
The surge in viewership came despite the show being blocked from nearly a quarter of U.S. households — including the Salt Lake City market. Affiliates Nexstar Media Group Inc. and Sinclair have yet to resume airing Kimmel’s program. Nexstar said in a statement it would replace the show in