Following on from the recent suspension relating to Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel has an extension on his ABC contract through 2027.
This means that, despite upsetting the apple cart over the late Kirk, Kimmel and his show will be around even longer. Kimmel has officially signed a one-year contract extension with ABC, meaning the popular show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will continue through May 2027. His previous contract was set to expire in May 2026 at the end of the 2025-2026 television season.
The extension of the late night host’s contract was first reported by Bloomberg and came several months after the network, and its parent company Walt Disney Co., temporarily suspended Kimmel due to serious backlash over comments made on the death of the conservative activist, Charlie Kirk. Meanwhile, hours before announcing the suspension, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of ABC, said they would not air the late night show following Kimmel’s comments.
Fans of Jimmy Kimmel Live! were thrilled when the late-night host returned to the air after almost a week’s absence. In the show, Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue, where he strongly defended free speech. While he didn’t explicitly apologize for his controversial comments, which Sinclair insisted was a condition he must meet to be on the show again, both Nexstar and Sinclair did resume airing the show shortly after its host returned.
Kimmel soon found himself the center of a culture war during his brief time off the show. Talk show hosts, comedians actors, writers and the former head of Disney condemned ABC’s decision to suspend production. However, a steam of critics celebrated the late-night host’s suspension, including President Donald Trump, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman, Brendan Carr, who urged ABC to act swiftly on Kimmel’s comments.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was not alone in recent controversies, as late-night broadcasting has been hit by problems. In July, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was also hit by critics in the Trump administration. The announcement was that the network franchise would not be renewed, with CBS citing the reasons as financial and not, as many believe, due to Colbert’s criticism of a settlement between the Trump administration and Paramount, CBS’ parent company, over a 60 Minutes interview with the then Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
🚨NEW: ABC has extended late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s contract, keeping him on the air through 2027. This comes after Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to take him off the air earlier this year for being critical of the Administration.
RETWEET to congratulate @JimmyKimmel! pic.twitter.com/h7I4LywBAI
— Protect Kamala Harris ✊ (@DisavowTrump20) December 8, 2025
Fans of late night broadcasting as a whole have seen how free speech on the shows goes against the grain with President Donald Trump. However, hopefully, the problems dissipate. While the Late Show With Stephen Colbert ends in the coming year, Jimmy Kimmel’s contract will now be good for three years.
While the controversy continued, fans of late-night programming got to see all the late-night hosts sticking up for each other, particularly with Kimmel and Colbert, who appeared on each others’ shows. Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and John Oliver also stood up for the two popular late-night hosts.
