Ted Cruz revives push to make it easier to sue the government for censorship amid Kimmel return

"Perhaps that poses an opportunity for us to work together in a bipartisan way," Cruz told the Journal.

The Texas senator jabbed at Kimmel during the interview, saying the host's ratings prior to his brief suspension meant his podcast was "kicking Kimmel's a-- every week."

Kimmel's 2025 average viewership of 1.6 million is down 37% from 2015. The decline is even more severe among adults ages 25-54, the advertiser-coveted demographic.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" averaged nearly 1 million viewers in the key 25-54 demographic in 2015 but dropped to just 261,000 in 2025 - a 72% decline over the decade. 

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.