Late night host Jimmy Kimmel blasted CBS in a new interview and accused the network of lying about why it canceled "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert, saying executives used "made-up numbers" to call the move a financial decision and claiming his own show, which has aired on ABC since 2003 (and drew in fewer viewers) is still profitable.
Jimmy Kimmel on May 12, 2026.
Disney via Getty Images
In a new interview with New York, Kimmel reflected on the end of "The Late Show" and said, "In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m looking at my own future,” adding he doesn’t feel the late night format is “dying of natural causes. We’re being poisoned.”
Colbert was taken off the air last month in what CBS said was a "purely financial" move that coincided with calls from President Donald Trump to cancel the show—which frequently criticized him—as the network's parent company, Paramount, sought the administration's approval to merge with billionaire-backed Skydance Media.
Kimmel, 58, told New York that CBS's claims "The Late Show" was losing upwards of $40 million a year doesn’t add up, pointing to the network's attempt to sign Colbert to a five-year contract in 2023: "Am I to believe that over the course of those two years, they suddenly started losing $40 million a year?”
He said he's been told "quite specifically" that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is still profitable for ABC, while Kimmel has routinely drawn less viewers than Colbert, though his show did routinely win in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, a key one for advertisers.
Kimmel, who signed a one-year deal with ABC in December instead of his standard three-year contract, said he’s not sure if he’ll continue his show past 2027 or retire: “Everything is so tumultuous.”
Kimmel, like Colbert, has been the target of multiple attacks from Trump amid his own ongoing jabs at the administration, but is the only one of the late night hosts who has been kicked off the air for his rhetoric. Kimmel in September commented about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, specifically poking at Trump's unsubstantiated claims the person who shot Kirk was the product of the violent “radical left.” Kimmel claimed "the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." FCC Chairman Brendan Carr then criticized Kimmel in an appearance on right-wing commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast, suggesting the FCC could take action against the talk show because it wasn’t operating in the “public interest.” Shortly after that threat, Disney-owned ABC said Kimmel's show would be put on a hiatus "indefinitely." The president cheered Kimmel being taken off air in a post on Truth Social: “The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.” The White House’s Rapid Response X account tweeted: “They're doing their viewers a favor. Jimmy is a sick freak!” ABC brought the show back after one week after backlash from both sides of the aisle in an ensuing debate over free speech, corporate compliance and government regulation.
Trump is once again targeting Kimmel after a joke he made days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner. In his April 23 monologue, Kimmel included a line describing First Lady Melania Trump as having “a glow like an expectant widow.” Two nights later, a shooter attempted to attack the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Melania Trump joined with her husband in calling for Kimmel’s firing and right-wing commentators and influencers said Kimmel’s joke enticed violence. The host responded to the claims during a later show, acknowledging the shooting was upsetting but pointing out his own history of advocating for gun control.
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