Rosie O’Donnell ‘Kimmel’ Ratings Revealed: Is She a Hit or Miss?

Martin HolmesThu, August 20, 2026 at 1:02 PM UTC

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Rosie O'Donnell - Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube

Rosie O’Donnell‘s return to network television has been a resounding success, with her first night guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! drawing the biggest ratings of all guest hosts so far.

According to LateNighter, citing preliminary Nielsen Live+Same Day figures, Monday’s (August 17) episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! drew 1.87 million total viewers and 218,000 viewers in the key 18-49 demographic. This put O’Donnell’s debut episode at the top of the charts, with 62,000 more demo viewers than The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

That success also translated online, with O’Donnell’s Monday night monologue amassing over 2.5 million views as of writing. That is more than twice as many as the most-watched monologue from any previous guest host: Anthony Anderson‘s first monologue. Other guest hosts have included Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, and Colman Domingo.

O’Donnell’s numbers, both online and on broadcast, will only grow in the coming days, especially as delayed viewing is added.

However, while O’Donnell’s ratings are impressive, they haven’t quite matched Kimmel himself. Kimmel, currently on summer hiatus, regularly surpasses 2 million viewers in his Live+Same Day figures, and his monologues often top 3 million views on YouTube.

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O’Donnell received a standing ovation as she made her debut as guest host on Monday’s show. During her monologue, she took shots at her long-time nemesis Donald Trump without ever mentioning him by name. Instead, she used nicknames like “Mango Mussolini” and “Oompa J. Loompa.”

The former View co-host also sarcastically thanked the president for bringing her back into the spotlight. “Couldn’t have done it without you, sweetie,” she said. “You brought me back, just like you did with fascism and the measles.”

Last year, Trump ranted against O’Donnell on social media after she decided to move to Ireland following his 2024 presidential election win. In a Truth Social post, the president threatened to take away O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship. He also attacked the comedian earlier this month, posting an AI video of himself as a doctor treating her for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, ABC

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”