ABC Entertainment is shutting down speculation that the new season of Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be the host’s last, saying the report, which was published by Page Six on Tuesday, was “inaccurate.”
A spokesperson for ABC Entertainment told Global News Wednesday that “any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative,” after the tabloid cited “a source familiar” with the show as saying the host’s contract would not be renewed after its May 2027 expiry date.
Kimmel’s joke on Trump sparks free speech debate, White House complaints to FCC
The speculation coincided with Kimmel’s return from hiatus, during which a series of celebrity guest hosts, including Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, and Rosie O’Donnell, filled his seat.
Kimmel kicked off the 24th season of his show on Sept. 8.
He has fronted his talk show since 2003, making him one of the longest-running late-night hosts, second only to David Letterman, who spent more than three decades on Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Show with David Letterman.
The future of Kimmel’s position has been subject to speculation in recent times, most notably last September when the ABC network temporarily suspended his show after comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s killing led a group of affiliate stations to refuse to air his program, a move that was celebrated by U.S. President Donald Trump, of whom Kimmel is an outspoken critic.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
(L-R:) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 25, 2026, and Jimmy Kimmel presents the award for best documentary short film during the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana/Chris Pizzello
Kimmel’s show returned to the airwaves a week later, with stronger ratings than before. He renewed his contract with ABC in December 2025, extending his hosting duties to May 2027.
He confirmed the extension during an opening monologue in early December, taking a jab at Trump during the process.
“The last thing I want to do is upset you during this sensitive time,” Kimmel said to Trump. “But I have one more bit of entertainment news to share, and that is that I have decided to extend my contract here at ABC for another year.”
Earlier this year, Trump urged ABC to fire Kimmel after he called Melania Trump an “expectant widow,” during a segment that aired two days before a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Trump’s call came after his wife shared a statement on X calling for ABC to “take a stand” against Kimmel over his comments.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” Melania wrote. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
Kimmel responded to both Trump and Melania during an opening monologue of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and the First Lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job? We’ve all been there, right?” he began.
“It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” he added. “It was not by any stretch a call to assassination and they know that I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence in particular.”
The current season of Jimmy Kimmel Live! runs until May 2027.
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