'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' in talks to be renewed after false reports - USA Today
The fate of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is still up in the air following recent reports, denied by ABC, that the late-night talk show would end after more than 20 years on the air.
Jimmy Kimmel and Disney's ABC are currently in talks to renew his long-running show, USA TODAY understands.
USA TODAY has reached out to ABC and Kimmel's representatives for comment.
The negotiations, typically standard procedure for the series, come after Page Six reported Sept. 8 that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" would end after its current season, with Kimmel's current contract up in May 2027. ABC denied the report at the time.
The turmoil within the late-night television landscape was evident when "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ended on CBS in May.
The network canceled Colbert's show in a controversial move that critics alleged was motivated by a desire to appease President Donald Trump amid a merger between parent company Paramount and Skydance that required approval from the Trump administration. CBS maintained the decision was financial.
Kimmel is one of three major late-night hosts remaining on the four major broadcast networks, alongside Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, both on NBC. There's also Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," and John Oliver and Bill Maher, both on HBO.
In 2025, former late-night host Conan O'Brien, who has continued to host a podcast after stepping away from his TBS talk show, predicted that "late-night television, as we have known it since around 1950, is going to disappear."
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" debuted on ABC in January 2003.
Over the past decade, the comedian has emerged as one of Trump's most vocal critics on TV, and the president has frequently called for the comedian's show to be canceled. In 2025, Kimmel was briefly suspended by ABC over controversial comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr had publicly pressured ABC to take action against Kimmel, prompting accusations that the government was attempting to censor the late-night host.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, Kimmel released his full interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on YouTube after telling viewers the conversation would not air on television because of what he described as pressure and threats from the FCC. The Emmy-winning comedian said he was moving forward with posting the interview online despite the FCC's actions.
The White House denied that the FCC has threatened Kimmel in a statement shared with USA TODAY on Sept. 10.
"Jimmy Kimmel is play-acting – as he often does – to create a false narrative about this administration's policies," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said. "Chairman Carr has not threatened him regarding interviewing James Talarico, or any other candidate. Any media outlet blindly amplifying Kimmel’s egocentric delusion should insist on proof. Of which they will find none."
Trump also demanded ABC fire Kimmel in April after the comic jokingly called first lady Melania Trump an "expectant widow." In that instance, ABC took no action against Kimmel, who defended his "very light roast joke."
Kimmel has frequently discussed the idea of stepping away from his show over the years. In December 2025, he renewed his contract through May 2027. But speaking with Vulture in a June profile, he said that negotiations for renewing his contract had not begun and that he didn't "know what ABC is going to want to do."
He previously hinted in 2024 that his show could be nearing an end.
Speaking on the "Armchair Expert" podcast in August, though, Kimmel said he had no plans to retire completely. "I'm never going to stop doing things," he said.
On the podcast, Kimmel also said he was fearful of the idea of stepping away from his show, only to regret it.
"I know people who have been in that situation," he said. "People make a big show of, 'I'm done, and I'm tired doing this,' and then they make a lesser comeback trying to do the same thing, and that's always a bummer. I always look at that and go, 'Is that going to be me?'"
