Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will return for one more year after ABC renewed his contract through 2027.
There were questions about whether the star of Jimmy Kimmel Live! would retire from his show due to pressure from the public and President Donald Trump. Trump most recently said in a Nov. 19 Truth Social post, “Get the bum off the air!!!”
“I am pleased to announce another no-talent year!” Kimmel said in an Instagram post on Monday night.
Kimmel landed in boiling-hot water earlier this year after he suggested in September that Charlie Kirk’s alleged murderer was part of the MAGA camp. Disney yanked him off the air, and many station owners preempted the show.
His future was in doubt after the controversy, but tempers eventually cooled, and Kimmel was allowed to return to the air. Kimmel’s return drew his largest audience ever, with an average of nearly 2 million viewers per night in the third quarter of this year, according to Nielsen data.
He apologized for his comments in his return to the air, saying that “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
The decision to bring Kimmel back will likely irk Trump, who mocked Kimmel on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center on Monday. He called Kimmel a “terrible” host and “not-so-great.”
Kimmel responded with humor.
“That is very hurtful. I thought we were friends. I don’t know what’s going on. He is really fixated. I’m starting to think he might have a crush on me,” he said.
TRUMP REVIVES DEMANDS ABC TAKE JIMMY KIMMEL OFF THE AIR
CNN reported in September that Disney hoped Kimmel would be back. His return sets up a possible retirement tour that doesn’t overlap with fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert’s recent decision to step down from his show in May 2026.
Kimmel has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, and 2027 will be his 25th year hosting the show. He’ll leave in May of that year if he lets his contract expire.
