Jimmy Kimmel, a vocal opponent of CBS’s decision to cancel fellow host Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, offered Colbert a spot as a guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during Kimmel’s annual hiatus. But Colbert declined.
“Of course, I asked him, and I think it feels premature,” Kimmel said in a new interview on Wednesday. “But I told him, ‘anytime you want to host, it doesn’t matter if it’s the summer, I’ll gladly step aside.”
Since the start of his summer break, several celebrities have filled in for Kimmel. Actor Colman Domingo is the current guest host, following Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz. The lineup for the rest of the summer includes Anthony Anderson, Rosie O’Donnell and Jelly Roll.
Kimmel’s standing invitation for Colbert to step in comes after CBS canceled The Late Show due to what the network called “a purely financial decision,” though many believe it was politically motivated.
Kimmel’s show went dark during The Late Show finale in May, with Kimmel urging viewers to boycott CBS programming afterward.
“I think you know how I feel about the fact that they are being pushed out,” Kimmel said in his May 20 monologue. “I hope the people who did the pushing feel ashamed of themselves tonight, although they probably won’t. I hope those of you who watch our show will also tune into CBS for the last time. Don’t ever watch it again, but watch tomorrow night to show Stephen and our friends at The Late Show a fun farewell. Now, let’s talk about the a--hole who forced them off the air.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which ABC suspended briefly in September after Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk, managed to avoid permanent cancellation and even experienced its highest-rated month ever in June. Kimmel slyly attributed the show’s skyrocketed viewership, which averaged 3.15 million viewers last month, to CBS for removing Colbert from the air.
“The ratings are very strong, which we are very grateful to CBS for their wisdom,” Kimmel said, mocking the network. “We were doing pretty well before that, but that really helped.”
As for Colbert, the Lord Of The Rings superfan is busy developing a new film in the franchise with Warner Bros. Studio. Kimmel said he’ll always have a place on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“I’ve always thought of our show as an orphanage,” he joked. And Colbert, a late-night host without a network, can always make himself at home there.
