The host and frequent Donald Trump target reportedly finalized a contract extension before his temporary suspension in September
President Donald Trump‘s least favorite talk-show host, Jimmy Kimmel, will stay on the air at least through 2027 after signing a one-year contract extension for Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Disney, according to Variety. The deal was reportedly finalized over the summer — before ABC’s September suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, following a monologue in the wake of Charlie Kirk‘s murder.
That suspension, which came after heavy pressure from the Trump administration, conservative activists, and network affiliates, was billed as “indefinite.” It ended up lasting just a few days, after it prompted a ferocious backlash of its own, with consumers apparently canceling their Disney+ subscriptions en masse and actors and other showbiz figures condemning ABC and its parent company, Disney. Kimmel returned to the show with a studio audience chanting his name. His 17-minute monologue, in which he said it was “never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” drew 6.26 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular episode in the show’s history.
Trump has continued to target Kimmel, including as recently as last night, when the president hosted the Kennedy Center Honors. “We’ll do fine,” Trump said. “I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible … if I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”
Kimmel has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since January 2003, but he has been weighing whether to step back from the role, Variety reported, and the one-year term is shorter than the typical three-year talent deal.
The extension offers some stability for a format that seems endangered. CBS announced earlier this year that Stephen Colbert’s Late Show will end in May 2026, as Paramount Skydance moves away from traditional late-night programming.
