Jimmy Kimmel will remain at late night TV for at least another year as the talk show host reportedly extended his contract with ABC until May 2027.
According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Kimmel and Disney (DIS) cemented contract negotiations months ago but delayed the announcement out of respect for fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert, whose show was axed by CBS (PSKY) in July. Colbert’s show will go off the air in May 2026.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Has been at ABC since 2003 and was suspended briefly in September as a result of controversial statements Kimmel made about murdered conservative activist, Charlie Kirk. After a brief spike upon the show’s September 23 return, viewership has averaged 1.8M viewers a night, putting it in second place in the late-night rankings.
Like its late-night competitors, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has faced dwindling viewership, competition from streaming, and requires an extensive staff to produce each segment, making it increasingly difficult for late-night programming to earn a profit for any of the three major networks.
Kimmel had reportedly considered leaving the show in May 2026 but decided against it as it would coincide with Colbert going off the air.
Disney (DIS) is the parent company of ABC Networks.