Bye bye Jimmy!
Jimmy Kimmel’s future at ABC is suddenly under intense scrutiny following a new report claiming the longtime late-night host may be nearing the end of his more than two-decade run on network television.
The development is drawing particular attention because Kimmel has spent years publicly criticizing President Donald Trump, often making the president, his administration and the MAGA movement major targets of his late-night monologues.
But despite speculation surrounding Kimmel’s future, ABC is pushing back against reports that a final decision has been made.
Report Raises Questions About Jimmy Kimmel’s Future at ABC
Page Six reported that Kimmel’s contract is not expected to be extended beyond 2027, potentially bringing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to an end after approximately 24 years on ABC.
Kimmel has hosted the program since 2003, making him one of the most recognizable figures in American late-night television.
According to Page Six, a source familiar with the situation claimed that Kimmel would not receive another contract extension.
However, ABC strongly disputed that account.
The network said reports concerning the future of the program are inaccurate and speculative.
That distinction is important. ABC has not officially announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has been canceled, and Kimmel remains under contract through May 2027.
Still, the uncertainty surrounding what happens after that contract expires has put a renewed spotlight on Kimmel’s future.
Kimmel And Trump Have Feuded For Years
Kimmel’s increasingly political comedy has made him one of President Trump’s most persistent critics in late-night television.
Trump has repeatedly responded to Kimmel’s attacks and has publicly criticized both the comedian and ABC.
Their feud intensified during Trump’s second term as Kimmel continued devoting portions of his nightly monologues to the president and his administration.
In March, Trump called for ABC to fire Kimmel following a controversial joke involving first lady Melania Trump.
Kimmel later defended his comments and disputed the interpretation advanced by some critics.
The controversy was hardly the first confrontation between the two men. Their ongoing war of words has become a regular feature of the increasingly political world of late-night entertainment.
ABC Previously Pulled Kimmel From The Air
Kimmel faced an even more serious controversy in 2025 following comments surrounding the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC temporarily suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as criticism of the comedian intensified.
Major television station groups also stopped broadcasting the program on their ABC affiliates for a period.
The controversy attracted national attention and quickly expanded beyond entertainment television.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr publicly criticized Kimmel’s comments, while the decision to suspend the program generated a separate debate over free speech, government regulation and the responsibilities of broadcasters.
ABC eventually returned Kimmel to the air.
The episode nevertheless demonstrated how politically charged late-night television had become and placed Kimmel at the center of a much larger national argument over politics and the media.
Trump Has Made His Feelings About Kimmel Clear
President Trump has made little secret of his dissatisfaction with Kimmel.
The president has repeatedly criticized the comedian’s performance, political commentary and television program while calling attention to the broader political direction of network late-night entertainment.
Kimmel, meanwhile, has continued criticizing Trump on television.
The result has been an unusually public feud between a sitting president and one of America’s best-known television personalities.
For viewers frustrated with the increasingly political nature of entertainment programming, Kimmel has become a prominent example of how traditional late-night comedy has changed.
For Kimmel’s supporters, his willingness to criticize powerful political figures is part of the show’s appeal.
Those competing perspectives have helped keep the Trump-Kimmel feud in the national spotlight.
ABC And The FCC Are Fighting A Separate Legal Battle
Kimmel’s uncertain long-term future also comes as ABC’s parent company, Disney, is involved in a larger dispute with the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC has undertaken an early review involving licenses associated with several ABC television stations.
Disney has challenged the government’s actions in court, arguing that the regulatory scrutiny threatens constitutionally protected editorial independence and free-speech rights.
The FCC has disputed those arguments and asked a federal court to dismiss Disney’s lawsuit.
The regulatory dispute should not be confused with the separate report concerning Kimmel’s contract. ABC has not said that Kimmel’s future is being determined by Trump, the White House or the FCC.
Late-Night Television Faces A Changing Business Environment
Politics may generate the biggest headlines, but there is another major factor hanging over Kimmel and the rest of late-night television: money.
Traditional television has undergone dramatic changes as millions of Americans increasingly turn to streaming services, podcasts, YouTube and other digital platforms for entertainment.
That transformation has forced major media companies to reconsider the economics of expensive traditional television programs.
Late-night shows require large production staffs, celebrity guests, writers, studios and other significant expenses at a time when traditional television audiences are changing.
Kimmel’s contract situation therefore arrives during a much broader transformation of the television industry.
Stephen Colbert’s Departure Added To Late-Night Uncertainty
Kimmel is not the only prominent late-night personality whose future has attracted national attention.
Stephen Colbert’s long run hosting CBS’s “The Late Show” also came to an end after years in which Colbert frequently criticized Trump and Republicans.
His departure intensified questions about the future of traditional network late-night television.
While political controversies surrounding hosts such as Kimmel and Colbert receive enormous attention, television networks must also confront the financial realities of a rapidly changing media business.
That makes it difficult to attribute any individual programming decision exclusively to politics.
Kimmel’s Current Contract Runs Through 2027
One fact is clear: Kimmel currently has a contract keeping him at ABC through May 2027.
The bigger question is what happens afterward.
The Page Six report claims another extension is not coming. ABC says that characterization is inaccurate and that speculation about the program’s future is premature.
Until ABC, Disney or Kimmel formally announces what will happen after the existing agreement expires, reports of the show’s demise should be treated as unconfirmed.
Could Jimmy Kimmel Really Leave ABC?
After more than two decades on television, Kimmel eventually leaving ABC would represent a major change in American late-night entertainment.
His program began in 2003 and recently reached its 4,000th episode, an extraordinary milestone in an industry where programs frequently disappear after only a few seasons.
Yet television in 2026 looks dramatically different from television when Kimmel started.
Streaming, social media, podcasts and online video have transformed how Americans consume news and entertainment. Political polarization has simultaneously made comedians and entertainment personalities part of national political debates in ways that were far less common decades ago.
Kimmel sits directly at the intersection of those trends.
What Happens Next Could Say A Lot About Late-Night TV
For Americans who have watched Kimmel repeatedly battle Trump, reports concerning his future are certain to attract attention.
But the situation currently has two competing accounts.
Page Six reports that Kimmel’s contract will not be extended after 2027.
ABC says reports about the show’s future are inaccurate and speculative.
Therefore, it would be premature to say Kimmel has officially been fired or that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has officially been canceled.
What can be said is that Kimmel’s future beyond his existing contract remains a subject of growing speculation at a pivotal moment for traditional television.
After years of political battles, controversial monologues, declining confidence in traditional media and enormous changes in how Americans consume entertainment, the coming months could determine whether one of television’s longest-running late-night hosts continues behind the desk — or whether another major chapter of network television comes to an end.