After Disney and the TV company ABC stopped "Jimmy Kimmel live!" for almost a week, the interest was very great when the talk show returned on late Tuesday, local time.
The most popular part of the program, Kimmel's opening monologue, had been seen over 10 million times on Youtube and 5 million times on Instagram by late Wednesday afternoon, Swedish time, reports Forbes and the news agency Reuters.
According to Forbes, the episode is thus the program's most viewed on Youtube since March last year.
The figures can also be compared to the fact that the program on linear TV in the USA on average had almost 1.8 million viewers during the second quarter of the year. How many watched Tuesday's episode directly on TV is not yet known.
Two companies that together own a quarter of all ABC-connected TV stations refused to broadcast the episode, including the local channel in the capital Washington DC. In addition to the internet, the program can also be seen in the USA on some Disney-owned platforms.
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Facts: Jimmy Kimmel's suspension
TT
Disney-owned TV company ABC stopped "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" last Wednesday after the program leader commented on right-wing debater Charlie Kirk's suspected murderer – whom Kimmel implied could be a Trump supporter.
The message about the pause came after at least one distributor stated that it would replace the program "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in the schedule.
In addition, the chairman of the US Communications Authority (FCC), Brendan Carr, threatened to withdraw ABC's broadcasting license after Jimmy Kimmel's statements
The decision was praised by President Donald Trump, but was met with massive criticism, not least from Hollywood.
