ABC Denies Report Kimmel's Show Ends in 2027
ABC Denies Report Kimmel's Show Ends in 2027
The News
ABC is denying a report that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will end in 2027, after Page Six reported Tuesday that the network will not extend host Jimmy Kimmel's contract.
Sources told Page Six the season that begins Tuesday will be Kimmel's last, wrapping with a final episode in May 2027 after 24 years on air.
"His contract is not getting extended," a source familiar with the situation told the outlet.
A spokesman for ABC Entertainment pushed back: "[This] information is inaccurate — any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative."
Why It Matters
Kimmel has hosted the show since 2003, making him one of the longest-running network late-night hosts behind only David Letterman and Johnny Carson. His run has also made him one of President Trump's loudest and most persistent television antagonists — and the president has publicly called for ABC to fire him.
Timeline
Kimmel takes over ABC's late-night hour with "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" He signs year-to-year deals rather than the multi-year contracts standard in the business, giving both sides an annual off-ramp.
Kimmel is embroiled in a feud with Trump after a joke about First Lady Melania Trump. Trump calls on ABC to fire him.
Kimmel is temporarily pulled off the air under then-Disney CEO Bob Iger following his remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
CBS ends "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," thinning the broadcast late-night field.
Rosie O'Donnell completes a four-night guest-hosting run on "Kimmel" that Page Six describes as a ratings success. The day after her debut, ABC and Disney sue the FCC, accusing the agency of attacking the network's free speech by moving to review ABC's broadcast licenses earlier than usual.
Page Six reports the contract will not be renewed. ABC calls the report inaccurate. The new season premieres the same night.
Kimmel's current contract expires.
Reactions
ABC Entertainment says nothing has been decided and that any reporting on the show's future is speculation.
Page Six's sources say the decision, if it holds, is unlikely to be about politics. A TV insider told the outlet that new Disney chief Josh D'Amaro "is not afraid of the administration… Josh isn't folding." An ABC source said cost reductions may have been a factor and that "it wouldn't have anything to do with Trump." D'Amaro has been offering veteran executives early retirement packages as part of a company-wide restructuring and cost-cutting push, according to the report.
On the right, the report landed as good news. Newsmax and The Daily Wire led with ABC's denial; Mediaite wrote that Trump "may have reason to celebrate." Reality-TV figure and failed Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt publicly mocked the reported cancellation, TMZ reported.
On the left, Raw Story framed the reported ending as the conclusion of a run defined by Kimmel's "nasty feud" with Trump.
What's Next
The 24th season premieres Tuesday night. Kimmel's deal runs to May 2027, and ABC says no decision has been made — so the network could still renew, decline to renew, or exit the time slot.
Separately, Disney and ABC's lawsuit against the FCC over the early review of ABC's broadcast licenses remains pending.
More
The unusual structure of Kimmel's contract is central to the story. Year-to-year deals are rare in television, and they cut both ways: they let Kimmel walk whenever he wants, and they let ABC quietly stop offering a new one without a public firing.
That leaves the key question unanswered in every version of the report — whether ABC declined to offer a renewal, or Kimmel declined to seek one.
Poll
Why do you think "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is reportedly ending?
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