Network Defies Trump by Extending Deal for Man He Hates
ABC has extended Jimmy Kimmel’s contract for another year.
Jimmy Kimmel’s contract has been renewed through the 2026-2027 season, meaning Donald Trump’s foe will be able to roast him on air for at least another 365 days, despite the president’s best efforts, per Bloomberg.
Kimmel was suspended from ABC for six days following threats from Trump’s FCC Chair in September. Since his comeback, he’s never let up on calling out the president. The Daily Beast has reached out to Jimmy Kimmel and the White House for comment.
Kimmel and his show have become Donald Trump's number one target since he took office in January.
ABC
ABC pulled Kimmel off the air “indefinitely” following his comments about MAGA’s reaction to the death of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. Kimmel said he felt that the future of his show was uncertain at the time. “We weren’t fired, we were suspended, and I think suspended means come back, but it just didn’t feel like that to me at the time,” he said in November.
After the network announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live would return following “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy,” the first show back featured the host’s most-watched monologue in years. During his remarks, Kimmel still refused to bow to Trump, though he clarified he hadn’t intended to make light of Kirk’s murder. “Even though we are still being preempted in 60 American cities, on Tuesday, we had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air,” Kimmel said on the show later that week.
Trump threatened to "test" ABC legally after the network put Jimmy Kimmel Live back on air post-suspension in September.
Getty Images
“Our monologue from Tuesday night has more than 21 million views just on YouTube alone. And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.” Trump was incensed, threatening to sue ABC for bringing the host back, and calling the network “a true bunch of losers” on Truth Social. He’d previously claimed that ABC executives told him the show had been canceled.
The threats did not dissuade the network from extending Kimmel’s contract on Monday, as his previous deal was set to end in May 2026. The deal will keep Kimmel on ABC for at least a year beyond the date that Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is set to end on CBS.
Trump’s fixation on the late-night host reared its head on Sunday, when he pitted himself against Kimmel in a rambling Oval Office speech before hosting the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors. “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president,” he said.
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