Overview
- ABC will carry the show through the end of the 2026–27 season, with Kimmel confirming the news on Instagram by joking about “another no-talent year.”
- People familiar with the deal say it was signed over the summer, with the announcement delayed out of deference to Stephen Colbert’s planned May 2026 exit.
- The renewal follows a brief September suspension after Kimmel’s monologue on Charlie Kirk’s killing, which prompted preemptions by Nexstar and Sinclair affiliates and sharp criticism from FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
- Kimmel’s return episode drew about 6.3 million viewers, the show’s largest regularly scheduled audience in more than a decade despite lingering preemptions.
- The single-year pact is shorter than typical late-night talent deals, reflecting an unsettled marketplace and ongoing political scrutiny, with Carr scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on Dec. 17.