Jimmy Kimmel, facing a dramatic drop in ratings, publicly invites Donald Trump back onto Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a desperate attempt to revive his struggling late-night show.

In an unexpected turn of events, late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, whose ratings have been plummeting faster than you can say “MAGA,”

has issued a public plea to none other than former President Donald Trump—asking him to return to *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* amid his flagging viewership.

After a dramatic and widely criticized suspension for comments he made about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s death, Kimmel is now scrambling to save his once-thriving late-night talk show, which has seen a staggering 70% drop in viewership since his return.

In an exclusive interview at the Bloomberg Screentime Conference, Kimmel, never one to shy away from controversy, expressed his desire to have Trump on his show.

“I’d love to have him on, for sure,” Kimmel said, adding, “But I’m not sure he’ll want to come back after everything I’ve said about him.”

This uncharacteristic admission came just weeks after Kimmel’s explosive comments on the death of Kirk, which led to an immediate backlash from conservative circles and a suspension that ultimately sent *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* into a nosedive.

The sharp decline in ratings for Kimmel’s return has raised eyebrows throughout Hollywood, and Kimmel himself appears to be acknowledging the desperation of his situation.

In the same breath as his Trump invitation, the late-night host tried to downplay the severity of his comments about Kirk, suggesting that the public’s reaction had been “intentionally and maliciously mischaracterized.”

This is a strange defense for someone who, only days earlier, had apologized profusely on air for his remarks about the tragic death of the right-wing personality.

What began as a minor ratings setback for Kimmel has turned into a full-blown crisis for the host, whose late-night reign had seemed untouchable just months ago.

Following his suspension on September 17, Kimmel made a fiery return to the airwaves on September 22, attracting a spike in viewers with his apology and an emotional promise to do better.

But the high of his comeback was short-lived. By October 2, his ratings had plummeted back down to just 1.9 million viewers—far below the 6.5 million who tuned in for his triumphant return.

Kimmel’s fall from grace is nothing short of dramatic, and President Trump, who had previously appeared on Kimmel’s show three times, has not missed the opportunity to throw shade.

From the moment Kimmel was suspended for his comments about Kirk, Trump, ever the master of Twitter provocations, ridiculed the decision to reinstate the show, mocking Kimmel’s lack of talent and, of course, his plummeting ratings.

“Great news for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, throwing in a dig about Kimmel’s liberal leanings and lackluster performance in comparison to late-night peers like Stephen Colbert.

It seems that the ratings war between Kimmel and Trump’s loyal followers has become a very public spectacle.

Kimmel’s apology, aired just after his return, was clearly an attempt to regain some favor from the public, especially his liberal fanbase who had stormed ABC’s studios in protest of his suspension.

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel had stated, but the damage may have already been done. The apology seemed less like an attempt to heal wounds and more like an act of self-preservation.

But even that may not be enough. According to ratings experts, the show’s sudden dip following his return is symptomatic of a larger problem: the growing polarization of late-night TV.

Kimmel’s show had long been associated with political satire that leaned heavily left, a position that seemed to work in the Trump era but is now increasingly alienating viewers, particularly those on the right.

Trump’s scathing critiques of Kimmel have resonated deeply with his audience, and it appears that Kimmel’s attempt to mend fences with the president is rooted not just in a desire for friendly banter, but a desperate attempt to pull in viewers from Trump’s massive fanbase.

The show’s waning popularity has led to speculation that Kimmel’s decision to reach out to Trump may be less about fostering genuine dialogue and more about a calculated move to salvage his career.

His comment, “I’d love to have him on the show,” sounded more like a plea than an invitation, and the host was quick to acknowledge the challenge of persuading a president who has spent years mocking him from the sidelines.

Still, Kimmel’s reputation as a sharp, irreverent comedian doesn’t align with the image of a man begging for a ratings rescue, yet that’s exactly what he appears to be doing.

The truth is, Trump’s unfiltered presence on late-night shows, particularly Kimmel’s, would likely guarantee a ratings spike—though whether that would be enough to restore Kimmel’s place in the late-night pecking order remains to be seen.

But can Kimmel, whose show had been irreverent and cutting-edge, really afford to make nice with someone who represents everything he has spent years lampooning?

For now, it seems that Kimmel is facing a crisis of identity. His attempt to win back audiences has only deepened his struggle.

Trump’s derisive comments about Kimmel’s “zero talent” and “horrible ratings” have struck a nerve, and Kimmel’s desperate plea to the president could signal that the late-night host is losing control of the narrative.

But just as quickly, Kimmel is attempting to recalibrate the situation by redirecting focus back to Trump. It’s a high-stakes gamble, and the final chapter of Kimmel’s late-night saga is yet to be written.

Whether or not Trump will take Kimmel up on his offer is anyone’s guess, but one thing is clear: Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night future is hanging by a thread.

And if Trump is the one to save him, it would be the ultimate irony—one that the late-night host, of all people, would probably find quite amusing.