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Jimmy Kimmel beats Trump in popularity after cancellation
07 Oct 2025

In a surprising turn of events, popular TV host Jimmy Kimmel has emerged more popular than US President Donald Trump.

This revelation comes from a recent poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov.

The survey asked 1,656 adults in the US about their views on Kimmel and Trump.

It found that 44% of respondents viewed Kimmel favorably while only 41% had an unfavorable opinion of him. This means Kimmel's net favorability is +3. And, 15% were undecided.

Trump's net favorability at -13
Poll results

The same poll found that Trump had a net favorability of -13.

While 41% of respondents viewed him favorably, 54% had an unfavorable opinion, and 5% were undecided.

This left Trump with a 16-point deficit in popularity compared to Kimmel.

The survey was conducted between September 26 and September 29.

Kimmel's suspension sparked protests
Show controversy

Kimmel's temporary suspension from ABC in September had sparked protests and free-speech concerns.

The move came after he criticized Trump's administration's response to the killing of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump loyalist, had threatened to revoke ABC affiliates' broadcast licenses unless they took action against Kimmel.

However, he was reinstated six days later after industry peers credited those who boycotted Disney for it.

Trump's reaction to Kimmel's suspension
Trump response

Initially, Trump had hailed ABC's decision to take Kimmel off the air as "great news for America."

However, he later criticized the network for reinstating Kimmel.

On social media, he wrote: "I can't believe ABC...gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back" and called the network a "true bunch of losers!"

Despite the controversy, Kimmel's first monologue after his return became his most-watched ever on YouTube with over 15 million views within 16 hours.