ABC has denied the explosive allegations that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be ending next year.
A bombshell report in Page Six alleged that Kimmel’s contract will not be renewed after its 24th season. “His contract is not getting extended,” a source told the publication.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, ABC roundly rebutted the claims.
“This information is inaccurate - any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative,” an ABC Entertainment spokesperson said.
It comes amid a tumultuous time in late-night TV, fueled by the president’s distaste for some of his most popular critics.
Donald Trump applauded after Stephen Colbert’s Late Show was canceled by CBS in July 2025, and said that Kimmel would be “next”–adding that the host has “even less talent than Colbert.”
Despite repeated attacks from inside the White House, Kimmel has set new ratings records. By June, his show boasted the highest average monthly rating since it first aired.
Trump, 80, has only increased his threats against his late-night adversary, and their relationship has soured even further in the past year.
In September 2025, Kimmel was temporarily benched by his network in the wake of comments related to Charlie Kirk’s death. But when he returned to air, the ABC host only doubled down on his criticism of the Trump administration and MAGA. At the time, Trump complained on Truth Social, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back.”
“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do,” he threatened.
In April, Trump once again called for Kimmel to be fired after the late-night host parodied the White House Correspondents’ Dinner days before it took place. In his fake address, Kimmel quipped, “Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” His comments caught the attention of both the president and the first lady, who attacked the TV anchor and demanded that ABC should “take a stand.”
Kimmel renewed his contract with ABC through May 2027. The late-night show is up for six awards at the upcoming Emmys on September 14.
The host returned to TV last night after voluntarily taking the summer off and handing over the reins to a rotation of celebrity guest hosts. Kimmel acknowledged his ongoing feud with the White House and his own milestones in the opening monologue.
“This is a big show for us; not only is this my first show back, this is our 4,000th show,” he said. “It’s a lot of shows. According to the White House, it’s too many shows. This show premiered after the Super Bowl in January 2003. There were those who said we would never last this long. There are even those who used the regulatory might of the FCC to unconstitutionally try to make sure we didn’t last this long. But we did. We did it the hard way, Brendan. And we are still here.”
