Kanye West appearance boosts ratings for Jimmy Kimmel

Maybe Jimmy Kimmel should get into rap feuds more often.

Kanye West appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday night to clear the air after a spat with the late-night host over a skit that made fun of the rapper.

West’s visit boosted ratings for Kimmel’s show, according to early numbers from Nielsen. In the 25 markets with local people meters, Kimmel drew a 1.2 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 age group demographic, beating both Jay Leno and David Letterman.

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” drew a 0.7 rating, while “The Late Show with David Letterman” got a 0.5.

PHOTOS: 2013’s year of controversial rap lyrics

Keep in mind that the local people meter numbers tend to skew toward the younger demographic.

The 1.2 rating is equal to Kimmel’s show last Thursday, the night of “Scandal’s” big premiere on ABC. Not including the telecasts helped by the NBA finals in June, it’s the best score the show has garnered in the 18-49 demographic since it moved into its 11:35 p.m. time slot last year.

However, Kimmel, as usual, did not beat Leno in Nielsen’s broader stats for its 56 metered markets. While Kimmel received a 2.5 household rating, Leno got a 2.6. Letterman got a 2.4.

The kerfuffle with West started last month when the pop music star gave an intense interview for BBC Radio 1, which Kimmel parodied by having children repeat some of the choice lines in a recording studio interview setting. Kanye then blasted the host on Twitter.

Here’s the interview:

ALSO:

Comcast to add links on Twitter to its TV shows

Changing consumer habits means more viewers for ‘Scandal’

CBS makes Monday moves: ‘We Are Men’ toast, ‘Mike & Molly’ returning

Follow on Twitter: @rfaughnder

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com