ABC Extends Jimmy Kimmel’s Contract Despite Recent Controversies

Jimmy Kimmel is staying on ABC. The network has extended his contract through 2027, Bloomberg reports. 

The contract extension comes months after his show was put on hiatus after some found the late-night talk show host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s death offensive. Kimmel would later issue an apology, but some local stations still refused to air the show.

Kimmel announced the news to his staff Monday, four people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, but the terms of the deal have not been made public. His current contract expires in May 2026, so the new deal is for one year. 

The deal was reportedly agreed upon months ago but was delayed in announcing out of respect for fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert; CBS announced this summer that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in May 2026. 

Reports allege that Colbert’s show is not being canceled due to a ratings decline. Instead, the network reportedly decided to end the show for financial reasons and a reported change in direction in programming. At the time of announcing the show’s end, CBS stated the decision was made due to a “challenging backdrop in late night” and financial decline in the advertising market for late-night shows. Many speculate the decision to end Colbert’s show is politically motivated.

In a new interview with GQ, Colbert opened up about his show’s 10-year run and its end. When asked to address whether he believes the move was politically motivated, Colbert has mixed feelings. 

“Well, good for them,” he noted. “I mean, that’s not my job. That’s not my reaction to it. My reaction as a professional in show business is to go: That is the network’s decision,” he said. “I can understand why people would have that reaction because CBS or the parent corporation — I’m not going to say who made that decision, because I don’t know; no one’s ever going to tell us — decided to cut a check for $16 million to the president of the United States over a lawsuit that their own lawyers, Paramount’s own lawyers, said is completely without merit.”