ABC signs Jimmy Kimmel to a one-year contract extension, months after temporary suspension

ABC Extends Jimmy Kimmel’s Contract Despite Trump’s Criticism

ABC has signed late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel to a one-year contract extension, ensuring he will remain on air until at least May 2027. The extension comes despite recent calls from President Donald Trump for the network to remove Kimmel from the airwaves.

Kimmel’s previous multi-year contract had been set to expire next May. The relatively short one-year extension represents a departure from his typical longer-term renewals with the network, though industry experts caution against reading too much into the abbreviated timeframe.

The comedian’s future at ABC appeared uncertain in September when the network suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following controversial remarks he made after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The suspension prompted significant public backlash, leading ABC to reverse course. When Kimmel returned to the air, he enjoyed substantially higher ratings than before the incident.

During his return broadcast, Kimmel did not apologize for his remarks but clarified that he never intended to blame any specific group for Kirk’s assassination, stating, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” The controversy had prompted media groups Nexstar and Sinclair to temporarily remove his show from their stations.

Kimmel has continued his pointed criticism of Trump throughout the presidential campaign and into the administration’s early days. Just last week, he quipped, “There are gas stations on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Trump right now,” highlighting the president’s early poll numbers.

Trump has made no secret of his displeasure with Kimmel’s comedic targeting. Last month, the president took to social media urging ABC to “get the bum off the air” after Kimmel delivered a nearly 10-minute monologue focused on Trump and the Jeffrey Epstein files. Even during Sunday’s Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, Trump referenced the late-night host, saying, “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”

Bill Carter, veteran chronicler of late-night television and author of “The Late Shift,” suggests that Kimmel, now 58, likely recognizes he’s approaching the end of his late-night career. However, Carter emphasized that Kimmel would want any eventual departure to be entirely on his own terms, not in response to political pressure.

“He wants to make sure that it’s on his terms,” Carter noted, adding, “I think it’s important for him and for ABC that they are standing up for him.”

The extension comes during a period of significant transition in late-night television. CBS recently announced it would end Stephen Colbert’s show next May despite it being the top-rated network late-night program, citing economic considerations. Like much of broadcast television, late-night ratings have declined across the board as viewers increasingly opt to watch monologues and segments online the day after they air.

Kimmel has been a fixture of ABC’s late-night lineup since 2003, making him one of the longest-tenured hosts in the current television landscape. In addition to his nightly show, he has hosted the Academy Awards four times, though he has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.

ABC did not provide specific details regarding the terms of the new contract or indicate whether the one-year timeframe was Kimmel’s choice or the network’s.