Jimmy Kimmel's return to late night wasn't quiet it exploded. His comeback episode on ABC pulled in 6.26 million viewers, his biggest audience in years. To put that in perspective, that's a 23 percent share of the entire late-night market, the kind of dominance not seen since Johnny Carson's days. Even more surprising, those numbers came despite a boycott that kept nearly a quarter of ABC affiliates from airing the show. The buzz was undeniable, with clips from the monologue racking up more than 14 million views online within hours. It was a free fall that underlined how much of his initial surge was fueled by curiosity rather than loyalty.