Jimmy Kimmel extends contract with ABC through May 2027
Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night show was briefly pulled from the air during a free-speech storm a few months ago, has extended his contract with Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC for at least another year.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will continue on the network through May 2027, according to two people with knowledge of the matter speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
“I am pleased to announce another no-talent year!” Kimmel said in an Instagram post, sharing a screenshot of an article in Bloomberg, which earlier reported the news.
Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended earlier this year following a conservative backlash to comments he made during his Sept. 15 show about the shooting of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The suspension sparked an outcry and accusations that ABC had buckled to a censorship campaign targeting Kimmel, one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics. Days later, when he was reinstated, Kimmel delivered a passionate monologue advocating for free speech.
“This show is not important: What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this,” Kimmel said, adding that he was embarrassed to admit that free speech was something he had taken for granted. Kimmel emphasized that he did not intend to make light of Kirk’s death or blame any group. The show drew some 6 million viewers.
Kimmel, who has anchored the show since 2003, has frequently traded barbs with the president. The 58-year-old comedian has said that Trump “can’t take a joke,” while the president has said Kimmel has “ZERO talent.”
Kimmel is not the only late-night comedian derided by Trump this year. When CBS announced in July it would end “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert next year, Trump celebrated the decision.
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “His talent was even less than his ratings.”
CBS called the cancellation “purely a financial decision.” The announcement came days after Colbert spoke out against the decision by Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump during last year’s presidential campaign.
Over the weekend, Trump again took a swipe at Kimmel ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors – which the president hosted – claiming that he would do a better job than Kimmel.
“I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people, if I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president,” Trump said.