Jimmy Kimmel made a big return to late-night TV on Tuesday, pulling in 6.26 million viewers, according to new numbers from Nielsen shared by Disney.

This marked his highest-rated episode in over a decade — even though about 23% of US households couldn't watch it due to local station blackouts.

The show's strong comeback comes after Kimmel was suspended from "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over controversial remarks in a previous monologue about the reaction to conservative activist

Charlie Kirk's death. In Tuesday's pretaped episode, the host addressed the incident directly.

"It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," Kimmel said during his 28-minute monologue. "I don't think there's anything funny about it."

According to CBS News, despite ongoing backlash, the episode didn't just perform well on TV. It also earned over 26 million views across YouTube and social media, Disney reported.

The show also hit a 0.87 rating among adults aged 18-49 — its best in more than 10 years.

Kimmel didn't shy away from the drama, even joking during his monologue,

"Trump tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show... Backfired bigly."

Kimmel Show Blocked in 70 Markets Over Trump Comments

The episode was aired nationwide — but many people still couldn't see it on TV. Two major local station owners, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair, had already said they would preempt the show indefinitely.

Combined, they operate about 70 ABC affiliate stations — reaching close to a quarter of the country, CNBC reported.

Both companies made their decisions following a warning from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who suggested that Kimmel's comments might lead to license trouble for ABC.

Nexstar said it is still "evaluating" the show's future, while Sinclair stated that talks with ABC are still ongoing.

ABC's decision to bring Kimmel back didn't change the blackout in affected areas like Seattle and Nashville.

The backlash began earlier this month when Kimmel criticized supporters of former President Donald Trump, calling their reaction to Kirk's death politically motivated.

Trump responded online, calling Kimmel "ratings-challenged" and claiming the show had been canceled.

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