Yeah he did. He couldn't sell Used Car Dealership ads. The major company - makes decisions about what they put on, for the 1,000 or so smaller affiliates through the country. Most of those 1,000 or so smaller affiliates are in Red Counties where Jimmy Kimmel wasn't very popular. He was so unpopular that Ad Revenues weren't occuring.
Then on top of an item of increasingly poor performance that they've watched drop off for years... He went on live television and lied to the audience of 1,000 or so smaller affiliates. To which thousands of people complained locally - which those complaints all went up to the major entity.
So yes, you're right in your statement - but not because he didn't have low ratings... More so because it wasn't JUST low ratings. He also lied to everyone that was tuned in when he began his slander of an assassinated individual & of the person who did the shooting.