“TV HISTORY MADE: Ken Jennings’ $1M ‘Millionaire’ Shock Sends Ratings into CHAOS — Viewers Say ‘I’ve NEVER Screamed This Loud!’”. The moment Ken Jennings nailed the $1 million question, it wasn’t just a win — it was an earthquake. Viewers around the world froze, screamed, and watched in disbelief as ratings for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire exploded to historic highs. Social media melted down. Executives are calling it “a miracle.” And fans? They’re calling it “the return of must-watch television.”
Never underestimate the power of the Jeopardy! fandom. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? had its best ratings in five years after Ken Jennings and Matt Damon won $1 million for charity on the latest episode.

Millionaire, which is hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, was the top program of the night for the second week in a row, according to a press release. ABC can thank Ken Jennings for that. He appeared on both episodes with Damon, winning the $1 million prize for Water.org. Their game went so long that it stretched into two episodes.

Episode two rose week-to-week in total viewers from 4.24 million to 4.46 million viewers. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? also held 100 percent retention in adults ages 18 to 49.

A factor that made Millionaire tower over the number two broadcast program, Big Brother, on Wednesday was most likely Kimmel and Damon’s ongoing “feud.” Also, Damon and Jennings’ quest for the $1 million, which they won with barely any effort, helped the game show‘s ratings. It was ahead of Big Brother by 48 percent.

Their second episode was the most-watched Millionaire episode in over five years (since June 4, 2020), which had 3.33 million viewers. The show’s success also pushed ABC to a win for the night among the broadcast networks in Total Viewers with 2.86 million. The revival of Match Game airs right after.

Damon and Jennings’ $1 million question was, “Which of these words is often used to describe one of the most beautiful auditory effects on Earth: the sound made by the leaves of trees when wind blows through them?” The options were Apricity, Petrichor, Susurrus, and Eudaemonia.

“You want to know what’s a good sign?” Ken Jennings said. “Before the options came up, I thought, ‘It’s like suration or something before susurrus popped up. I have a really good feeling about C.” They went with Susurrus after using their 50/50 Lifeline and got it right, winning the $1 million.

Only two other celebrities have won the $1 million on Millionaire — Chef David Chang with help from Mina Kimes and Ike Barinholtz with his father.

On this week’s Millionaire, Community duo Joel McHale and Jim Rash team up, while Severance stars Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry try to bridge the gap to one million.