monologue

"It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," he said in his opening monologue that night.

Kimmel’s first episode back scored 6.26 million viewers — a record for its regular 11:35 p.m. time slot — and his opening monologue was watched by more than 26 million people on YouTube and social media.

The first episode of 2025 was heavy on references to Los Angeles, with the fires leading Chappelle’s monologue and the first skit centered on an evacuation.

But in his first monologue back following the show’s six-day suspension, he at least proved he understands what needs to be said at this crucial, precarious moment in history.

For the first five minutes, he gave a monologue, working his way through a step-by-step explanation of the “tattoo” process, which he said jokingly, “is not a thing — I just made it up for TikTok.”