By Harshit
LOS ANGELES, DECEMBER 9, 2025
Jimmy Kimmel isn’t leaving late night television anytime soon.
Despite recent controversies surrounding Jimmy Kimmel Live! — including a brief suspension and renewed public attacks from President Donald Trump — the longtime host has signed a one-year contract extension with ABC. A source with knowledge of the deal confirmed the news to USA TODAY on Monday, saying the agreement will keep Kimmel on the network through May 2027. Bloomberg first reported the extension.
The move signals a vote of confidence from ABC and its parent company, Disney, following weeks of political tension and internal debate over the role of late-night comedy in an increasingly polarized media landscape.
A Long-Running Feud Rekindled
Trump, 79, and Kimmel, 58, have clashed publicly for years, with their feud intensifying again in recent weeks. During a December 6 Oval Office ceremony honoring the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees, Trump reportedly criticized Kimmel’s talent, according to attendees familiar with the remarks.
The criticism followed an earlier post on Trump’s Truth Social account on November 19, in which the president demanded ABC “get the bum off the air!!!”
Kimmel addressed the attack directly during his November 20 monologue.
“I’ve honestly lost count now of how many times the president has demanded that I be pulled off the air,” Kimmel said. “You’ve done this before. You tried to get me fired in September. It didn’t work, Mr. President! I admire your tenacity. If you’re watching tonight — which I presume you are — how about this? I’ll go when you go.”
The exchange quickly went viral, further cementing Kimmel’s role as one of Trump’s most persistent late-night critics.
The Suspension That Sparked a Backlash
Kimmel’s contract renewal comes less than three months after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly taken off air. On September 17, ABC announced the show would be suspended “indefinitely” following backlash over Kimmel’s September 15 monologue discussing the reaction from members of the MAGA movement to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr publicly criticized Kimmel’s remarks, triggering swift corporate action from Disney-owned ABC. The suspension immediately ignited a firestorm.
Critics accused the network of capitulating to political pressure and undermining free speech. Social media users called for boycotts of Disney’s streaming services, and reports indicated cancellations of Disney+ subscriptions doubled in the days following the announcement.
Within the entertainment industry, writers, comedians, and performers voiced concern that the suspension represented a dangerous precedent for government influence over satire and political commentary.
Kimmel Responds and Returns
When Jimmy Kimmel Live! eventually returned to the air, the host struck a more measured tone. While defending his right to critique political rhetoric, Kimmel acknowledged that his words surrounding Kirk’s death had been interpreted more harshly than he intended.
“My comments were intentionally — and I think maliciously — mischaracterized,” Kimmel said on air, while adding that it was “never my intention to make light” of the killing.
The clarification did little to quiet critics on either side, but it did help reset the show’s footing amid intense public scrutiny.
ABC’s Message: Stability Over Silence
By extending Kimmel’s contract through 2027, ABC appears to be signaling that it is prepared to weather political controversy rather than retreat from it. Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains one of the network’s most recognizable franchises and a cornerstone of its late-night lineup.
Kimmel has hosted the program since 2003, becoming one of the longest-running figures in late-night television. Over the years, his show has evolved from celebrity-driven humor into a sharper platform for political satire, activism, and cultural commentary.
The extension also arrives amid broader uncertainty across late-night television, where ratings have declined industry-wide and networks are reassessing long-term commitments to traditional broadcast formats.
What Comes Next
Neither ABC nor Kimmel has commented publicly on whether the one-year extension is intended as a bridge to a longer-term deal or a transitional phase. But for now, the arrangement ensures Kimmel will remain a nightly presence — and a political lightning rod — through the conclusion of Trump’s first year back in the White House.
As the lines between politics, entertainment, and media regulation continue to blur, Kimmel’s renewed contract underscores a larger question facing American television: how much room still exists for satire in an era of intensifying political pressure.
For ABC, at least for now, the answer appears to be clear.