Jimmy Kimmel made his return to late night last night, and as I hedged prior to its airing, his monologue was all over the comings and goings of President Donald Trump. He spoke of the war in Iran, the whole algae mess with the Lincoln Memorial and more. However, it was this first thing out of his mouth upon Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s return that had me shook: The show also hit a milestone episode last night.

Not that we would have known it if Kimmel hadn’t shouted it to the rooftops. When long-running shows like NCIS – which hit its 500th episode this year – hit major milestones, there’s usually a lot of lead-up and press in advance. That didn't happen in this case, and I was surprised when Kimmel kicked off with the announcement, but it makes sense.

Jimmy Kimmel’s been a late night host for the same number of years as NCIS, actually, with both premiering in 2003. Of course, late night produces a lot more episodes every year, even with the show taken hiatuses from time to time. Here’s what Kimmel had to say about hitting 4,000.

That’s a big number, and one that would have been worth celebrating no matter what. Yet, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has faced a large number of headwinds on the 2026 TV schedule and over the past year or so. The FCC’s been all over ABC and shows like Live! and The View and putting pressure on them in recent months. For its part, ABC has done work to push back on the current administration and maintain the intellectual freedom of its programs.

Despite this, in the last year Kimmel himself was suspended for a time before he saw his fellow late night series The Late Show wiped from existence. In the aftermath, Kimmel himself has admitted he feels late night has been “poisoned.”

So it’s salient the show was even airing last night, much less that the late night host cracked jokes about the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and sarcastically joked about all the things that changed over the summer.

These are the moments that have garnered most of the headlines this morning, and you can see his full comments, below.

President Trump has made it clear he’s not a fan of the late night genre, though he didn’t have much to say when Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves last night. He has previously made comments about being shocked “ABC gave Kimmel his job back” after the suspension, calling the late night host “not funny” and hoping he’d “rot in his bad ratings.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings have actually been up since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert went off the airwaves. The loss of CBS’ program has been good news for both of the Jimmys, actually, but particularly Kimmel, who tends to take more of a political bent than Fallon. We'll have to wait and see how this week's episodes fare.

Kimmel ended his monologue joking about Trump’s low polling rates and the upcoming midterm elections, but it’s just him being here to hit that 4,000th episode milestone that’s sticking with me the most.

Over the last several weeks, we’ve seen a bunch of big names sit behind the desk on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The ABC late night series drew some backlash after stars like Tiffany Haddish and Jelly Roll made political jokes, though this was in keeping with Kimmel’s own tone. It’s the latter, though, who is still dealing with pushback as the late night host prepares to sit behind his own desk once more.

Jimmy Kimmel Is Back On Live! This Week

Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air Tuesday, September 8th. Normally a host’s break and return to the air isn’t a huge story, but this year is a different sort of year. First, Kimmel’s been off ABC since June 18th. He's back after months of tumult that saw him get suspended and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert canceled. He's also been off the air for nearly three months. Not quite, but nearly. That’s a long time.

Secondly, while sometimes shows go into reruns while a host takes a summer break, this year ABC (mostly) tried something different. A slew of guest hosts stepped in and brought audiences new interview content over the last few months. Rosie O’Donnell guest hosted, despite formerly butting heads with Kimmel. Tiffany Haddish was on. So was Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, and finally, Jelly Roll.

The Latest In The Jelly Roll Kimmel Saga

Up until a couple of weeks ago, the “piping hot tea” surrounding Jelly Roll’s divorce is what was garnering the most headlines for the singer. Well, if he wanted people to be distracted from his celebrity divorce, he achieved it.When the latter hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live, he took a few cracks at President Donald Trump.

During several of Jelly Roll’s episodes, he made some quips about President Trump, including a few weight-related jokes. For example, one joke mentioned the singer had “lost an entire Donald Trump” before he later quipped, “Mr. President, from one fat pig to another, take it from me that physical fitness is very important.” Jokes like these made headlines, and later monologues from the singer also addressed these headlines he’d been seeing online.

To note, this wasn’t the first time this has happened during Kimmel’s absence. Tiffany Haddish also threw out a joke about the current administration, and the White House responded. However, Jelly Roll has always prided himself on straddling the middle when it comes to politics, and some individuals have taken this as shots fired.

This week, a Blue Lives Matter post aggressively disinvited Jelly Roll to an upcoming event.

In a lengthy post on, X the event organizer said he is a Christian father who also, like Jelly Roll, used to be overweight, and knows how it “sucks to be the brunt of people’s jokes.” Because of this, the poster said he was not pleased with the way Jelly Roll handled his late night tenure, and made fat jokes involving the President of the United States.

It’s unclear if Jelly Roll would have actually even attended this event, but for his part, he’d actually addressed why he took that bent on late night more than a week ago on the air. Then, on August 28th, he also wrote:

Jelly Roll’s tenure is done now, and Kimmel will be back tonight with Andrew Garfield and Joey King (hopefully method dressing for Practical Magic 2!) as guests. Regardless, the true ABC late night host has been making jokes similar to these for months now, and even took some major Trump digs when the Knicks won just a few days before his hiatus. We’ll have to wait and see if the administration is in the line of fire tonight, but if you’re putting money down, I don’t think you’d be making a bad bet.

As former late night stalwart Stephen Colbert follows in David Letterman’s bearded foodsteps, his ex-time slot is apparently having little trouble attracting audiences. Kicking off its CBS arrival back in late May 2026, media mogul Byron Allen’s comedian-fueled Comics Unleashed has been a dependable winner for the network. To the point where the Late Show’s replacement is now starting to beat out direct competitors like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

The current late night landscape is a bit more dismal than it used to be, with The Tonight Show currently airing repeats during Jimmy Fallon's summer hiatus. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is still airing new episodes, but the host has been on his own summer vacation for weeks now, with guest hosts such as Rosie O’Donnell and Jelly Roll filling in. For those reasons or others, it looks like more younger viewers are choosing to click over to Comics Unleashed as the 2026 TV schedule goes forward.

According to LateNighter, Byron Allen's comedian-filled chat show Comics Unleashed can now celebrate reaching the #1 spot above Tonight Show and Kimmel Live! for the very first time in the key 18-49 demographic. It's not the most massive margin, but a margin still exists that puts it atop its competitors in a big way, despite it not following the traditional late-night format.

The ratings tide began to change on Monday, August 24, though Allen's first hour of programming didn't actually garner more overall viewers than shows on other networks during that same time slot. Here's how it broke down.

Given these are the only Nielsen stats currently available that lay out the latest late night numbers, it's unclear if Comics Unleashed's demo win is just a fluke or more of a growing norm as viewer habits continue to evolve beyond traditional TV scheduling.

All things considered, it's possible that Allen's intentional lack of political discussions make his shows easier to watch than late night monologues that are almost always centered on politics these days. Or maybe it's just viewers' growing habit of watching late night clips on YouTube and social media rather than live. Or maybe it's the fact that Allen also keeps episodes almost entirely non-topical in regards to news headlines, which keeps the discussions from feeling dated.

Because guess what? Comics Unleashed has also been airing repeat episodes during the summer break. So yeah, that was an older episode that beat out both Jimmys for the key demo.

When he took his shot at securing the late night CBS slot, Byron Allen confidently claimed his show isn't a Colbert replacement in a technical sense, considering it’s been around for longer than the Colbert-hosted version of Late Night existed. And it looks like his confidence is already paying off after just four months, and I can picture him bopping around in celebration the way Colbert did after his final episode.

Several celebrities have been filling in for Jimmy Kimmel on late-night this summer, with the most recent being country music singer Jelly Roll. The heavily tattooed artist has been delighting many fans of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with his monologues and celebrity interviews (including one where Glen Powell revealed him as a “complete maniac”). However, others have taken issue with his jokes about Donald Trump, and Jelly Roll responded to those critics.

How Jelly Roll Responded To People Being Surprised About His Trump Jokes

It’s no secret that Jimmy Kimmel is no fan of Donald Trump’s, and people are used to hearing jabs when they tune into the increasingly popular ABC late-night show. However, with Kimmel on hiatus, it seems like people might not have anticipated his guest hosts to deliver the same level of biting commentary.

On one of his monologues this week, Jelly Roll pointed out the absurdity of this thinking by showing a recent headline that read: “Jelly Roll Stuns Jimmy Kimmel Live Audience With Multiple Jabs at Trump: ‘Didn’t See This Coming.’” The singer’s response?

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, laughed at the recent turn of events, asking who would have guessed that he’d cause more backlash with Trump supporters than Rosie O’Donnell (who preceded Jelly Roll as a Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest host). He said:

He went on to say that any president should be able to handle some jokes at their expense, as it’s been a late-night tradition — not just on Jimmy Kimmel Live! — to rib people in positions of power. Jelly Roll said:

So what did Jelly Roll say in previous monologues that had people up in arms?

What Did Jelly Roll Say About Donald Trump That Upset People?

Jelly Roll pulled no punches in his early-week monologues, as he joked about Donald Trump’s flag-waving skills at the weekend’s IndyCar race before discussing reports from the president’s recent physical that say he weighs almost 240 pounds. Jelly Roll said:

Most of the backlash does seem to come from Jelly Roll’s comments about the president’s weight, but given his own journey, he’s mostly laughed off the backlash, saying in an ensuing monologue that he thought “fat-on-fat crime was OK.”

Any negative reactions haven’t stopped the jokes from coming, so if you want to tune in to see what he’ll say next, keep watching Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the 2026 TV schedule for the rest of this week at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

Jimmy Kimmel is one of a select group of people in Hollywood who have the privilege of working with their spouse. The Emmy-nominated host’s wife, Molly McNearney, has worked on his talk show for over two decades now, and the pair have been married for 13 years. While the two appear to have a great professional and personal relationship, it’s hard not to wonder about the early days of that relationship, since Kimmel was McNearney’s boss. Well, now she’s shedding some light on that, and she’s getting quite honest about it.

Both McNearney and Kimmel were guests on the latest episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, where they discussed more than a few different topics. McNearney recalled what it was like when she first started working at Live! years ago. She then segued into their “meet-cute” story, which started when she met the Man Show alum weeks after booking her job on his talk show. Funny enough, McNearney’s depiction of that encounter wouldn’t indicate any kind of romantic interest on Kimmel’s part:

That entire scenario sounds like it could be an early scene in one of the best romantic comedies of all time. McNearney said the situation between her and Kimmel didn’t heat up until about eight years later, at which point she was a head writer. It was set in motion by a work meeting, during which McNearney named her favorite foods – Pizza, crab claws, BLT, and chocolate chip cookies – as part of a game. Six months later, she was invited to Kimmel’s house after work, and she arrived to find those aforementioned foods prepared.

McNearney admitted to being taken with the gesture, but she had some concerns about starting a relationship with Kimmel, given he was her boss. As she explained:

Nevertheless, the two co-workers did get together, and the rest is history. The relationship, however, did get off to a somewhat sneaky start due to the pair trying to conceal it. McNearney recalled:

Today, the Gracie Award winner seems happy with her decision to become involved with Kimmel, who she married in July 2013. Since then, the two have shared happy moments in their lives as well as more challenging situations, like their son Billy’s early medical emergency and the Jimmy Kimmel Live! suspension nearly a year ago. I’d imagine if a couple can survive personal obstacles and an insane year of late-night TV, they must have a sturdy bond.

Molly McNearney’s anecdote may not constitute a typical love story, but it’s one that I can certainly appreciate. Fans can see the work she and her hubby produce as collaborators by watching Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which airs on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC as part of the 2026 TV schedule.

Maury Povich and Jimmy Kimmel didn’t know one another in real life when the brouhaha between himself, the FCC, and parent network ABC happened late last year. However, the daytime talk show host was one of the first in line, with his wife Connie Chung, when Kimmel made it back on the air. Afterward, the two shared a sweet exchange that (thankfully) had nothing to do with paternity results.

All joking aside, Povich’s famous daytime talk series seemingly had little in common with Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but Povich had always wanted to be a part of the late night show. When Kimmel was ultimately suspended by Bob Iger's Disney in September of last year, after the FCC got involved in a series of comments Kimmel had made following the death of Charlie Kirk, Povich seemingly thought he'd lost his chance.

So when the series came back, he made a point to attend, and to send Kimmel an email.

Previous reports have indicated that Povich was scheduled to do an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! almost ten years ago now. Back in 2017 he was supposed to actually come on the show and do a Matt Damon spoof that would have actually been about paternity results, as he also told EW:

Still, despite the “conflict,” Povich had always hoped to be on the show. His own series (which presumably would have made him a more likely guest) ended in 2022. So, just getting to see it tape when the whole world hedged for a while the suspension might become a cancelation sounds gratifying for the former daytime host.

Of course, that’s not what ended up happening. ABC ultimately brought Jimmy Kimmel back (though some stations still pre-empted him), and it ended up being The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that got the axed. When it comes to this, Povich definitely still sounds flummoxed.

For Colbert's part, a loss in monetary earnings was what CBS claimed led to the show's cancelation, though Colbert declined to look at the books. However, President Trump was very excited to see the series gone and stayed up until 2 a.m. to comment on Colbert leaving late night when the series wrapped.

The other interesting piece to all this is probably that after The Late Show said goodbye, ratings have actually been up for Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, though it’s Kimmel that has seen a higher rate of return. Now, I just wonder if Maury will ever

The past year and change of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night life has been as chaotic as it gets, so it’s presumed that he’s currently doing his best to rid himself of all that stress while on his yearly summer hiatus. But the show must go on, and Rosie O’Donnell took over for this mid-August week, after already shooting down rumors about wanting her own late night show. Though audiences may think that the two are friendly, given both have been frequent targets of Donald Trump, she said that’s not the case.

In fact, the former daytime mainstay shared that she’s long known that Kimmel wasn’t particularly into her comedy and career, but that it didn’t get in the way of the longtime late night host putting in the request to bring her onboard to follow up Anthony Anderson's week as frontman. Speaking with Variety, O'Donnell opened up about being not-that-friendly with Kimmel over the years, saying:

Jimmy Kimmel has in some ways (not all) traveled a long distance from his years co-hosting The Man Show with Adam Corolla. But it's not like there's a golden rule that says all comedians must get along behind the scenes.

Still, despite any mild amounts of animosity, Rosie O'Donnell said she reached out after Kimmel's uncle Frank Potenza, who appeared regularly on Live!, passed away in 2011. It sounds like that eased things between them, even if it never reached a the point where she was a regular guest on his show. Or a guest at all. She continued:

Rosie O'Donnell certainly has experience heading up a daily talk show, as she hosted her Emmy-winning self-titled series for six seasons, and also sat atThe View's table for two non-consecutive seasons, exiting each after on-air disputes with co-hosts such as Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She recently talked about returning to The View for its 30th anniversary season, but the daytime series' executive producer shot down those claims as not being real. Which technically doesn't negate them from potentially being real down the line. Just not yet.

Check out who Rosie O'Donnell will be talking to for the rest of her week in Jimmy Kimmel's shoes.

Upcoming Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guests

Wednesday, August 19: Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)

Thursday, August 20: Megan Mulally and Nick Offerman, Shawn Hatosy (The Pitt), Sydney James Harcourt (Cats: The Jellicle Ball)

Friday, August 21: TBC

Will this stint as guest host land Rosie O'Donnell an invite to appear as a guest when Kimmel is back behind the desk? It could happen.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET, and episodes can be streamed the next day via Hulu subscription.

Jimmy Kimmel was reportedly ready to retire when his contract ended in 2027. However, the last 12 months or so have reportedly lit a fire within the host as the tense undercurrent continues between the administration and late night, and the ABC host has landed himself squarely in the middle of the brouhaha. Between his suspension, his staunch championing of The Late Show before it wrapped and a whole slew of things going on politically, it’s been an absolutely insane year. Naturally, someone decided to ask Kimmel about it.

In a “lightning round” of questions, Kimmel was asked what he’ll remember most about the last 12 months. September of 2025 was when his suspension came down the pipeline, and that’s the moment the late night host highlighted when THR recently asked him about what he’ll “remember most” from this whirlwind year.

It’s typical for Kimmel to be both funny and very serious at the same time. The push and pull coming from within the late night sphere can not be understated, however. The late night host was forced to take a break from his ABC series in the fall of 2025, and the last twelve months have been a whirlwind. His parent network has been at continual odds with the FCC. Kimmel himself has been a voice defending late night, even calling CBS’ cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a move that felt akin to late night “being poisoned.”

Meanwhile, however, despite the doom and gloom surrounding the TV genre, stuff is going pretty well for Jimmy Kimmel on the 2026 TV schedule. Live! got an Outstanding Variety Program nod when the 2026 Emmy nominations came down the pipeline.. He’s really enthusiastic about his other series Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Right now, his salary is still in the tens of millions range, so he’s bringing home the bacon.

Now, he’s currently in the middle of a long, scheduled break on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, so he should be rested up for the 2026-2027 schedule ahead. Meanwhile, Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish and others have been filling in for the late night host.

In short, things are going well, or as well as they can go in a landscape when advertising rates are down and President Donald Trump gleefully tweets about late night’s potential downfall. We’ll have to wait and see what 2027 brings to the late night landscape as a whole, but it sounds as if this one will always be a year to remember for Kimmel.

It’s been almost three months since The Late Show took its final bow on the 2026 TV schedule, but Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show got in one last laugh. The series has been nominated for Outstanding Variety Series at the 2026 Emmy Awards, following The Late Show’s first-ever Emmy win last year. Now, CBS is pushing for its second Emmy win, but Jimmy Kimmel’s hopes for support came in vain.

Despite the premature cancellation, CBS is going all in with the campaign to make sure The Late Show brings home one last Emmy. So, a For Your Consideration video was posted on The Late Show’s YouTube channel, and it featured a compilation of interview moments, including some of Colbert's interactions with his fellow late-night hosts. The video also touches on the final episodes of The Late Show, as it pushes for one last Emmy win.

Now, when The Late Show’s cancellation was announced in 2025, plenty of late-night hosts showed their support, including Jimmy Kimmel. Despite being nominated for the same award, Kimmel even campaigned for Colbert to win Outstanding Talk Series last year by putting up a billboard that read “I’m voting for Stephen.”

With all of that support going Colbert’s way last year, Kimmel had hoped The Late Show host would return the favor this year. So, when asked by THR if he’d be putting up another billboard for The Late Show’s Emmy nomination, Kimmel said he was "hoping this time they'd get one for us," in reference to Colbert putting up a billboard for Jimmy Kimmel Live. As of now, that hasn't happened. So, currently, the two shows are very much competing against each other and their competition.

Now, the TV Academy merged Scripted Variety Series and Variety Talk Series into Outstanding Variety Series this year. So, The Late Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! are up against The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Saturday Night Live. To be blunt, that's a tough competition. Plus, this will be the last year The Late Show is eligible for the Emmys, so it’s possible the team is merely focusing on their last chance to win.

While Colbert may not be campaigning for Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is doing well. Following The Late Show’s final episode, Jimmy Kimmel's show benefited most from the cancellation. In the first month without The Late Show, the ABC late-night series saw a 24% increase in total viewership in June compared to May. Plus, it's very obvious that all these hosts get along quite well and support one another's success, even if they don't always put up a billboard to make that clear.

With all that said, to see who wins this award, be sure to tune in to The 78^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.

The back and forth between President Donald Trump and most of the individuals on the late night scene is pretty legendary at this point. Trump’s been candid about being happy after Stephen Colbert’s Late Show wrapped, even staying up until 2 a.m. to post he was happy the man with “No talent, no ratings, no life” was “finally finished” at CBS. He’s taken shots at Seth Meyers, who has said he knows the President wants late night cancelled. And there is no love lost between The White House and Jimmy Kimmel, either.

Kimmel was recently asked about how he feels about the status of late night, and to be honest, he doesn’t sound particularly bullish. When THR asked him what it “will take to save the future of late night television,” he gave a very succinct response. In fact, it was eight words about the current administration.

This isn’t even close to the first time Kimmel has joked about the Trump administration, particularly given the implications of what was going on behind-the scenes during his brief suspension. Or his and parent network ABC’s dealings with the FCC afterwards.

So, What Is Going On With Late Night?

There’s no question the TV landscape is shifting and late night television has seen maybe the most sweeping change in recent years. It all probably started back in 2021 when Conan O’Brien said goodbye to late night on TBS. A couple of years later, James Corden followed suit, with CBS wrapping The Late Late Show in April of 2023. Perhaps we should have seen the writing on the wall then with late night, but I never really considered the possibility the big late night behemoths could get canceled in my lifetime.

A report that came out after the Stephen Colbert cancelation announcement has indicated late night revenue is way, way down in recent years. The report about the late night revenue stated it had dropped from $439 million in 2018 to just $220 million in 2024. Presumably, the numbers have fallen even more in the years since.

If late night were to end, Kimmel would be fine. The man has a good relationship with ABC, and currently also makes time to host Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He really believes in Millionaire, too. But it doesn’t sound like Jimmy Kimmel Live! getting unceremoniously canceled is anywhere near the outcome he wants, either.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Since The Late Show ended on CBS, the ratings for the Jimmys have ticked up. This has particularly been true of Kimmel’s show. Fallon tends to be less political on the air, and the appetite right now seems to indicate people want what Jimmy Kimmel is selling, and Kimmel is often selling the viewpoint that our administration is attacking free speech and “poisoning” late night. So, I'm not particularly surprised his response to what it will take to “save late night” follows that bent, as well.

Jimmy Kimmel was allegedly considering leaving late-night television when his contract was up, but as the deadline approaches, ABC's executives do not want to see him go. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is doing big numbers after The Late Show's cancellation, and it seems like the host is in a rare late-night position where he has the ability to discuss the terms of his next deal.

While The Tonight Show also saw a boost during this time, it paled in comparison to what was happening with Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Now, Rob Shuter reports that while Kimmel allegedly planned to retire at the expiration of his contract, the network is scrambling to try and ensure that doesn't happen:

I can understand anyone at ABC's eagerness to lock Jimmy Kimmel down for a new contract. He's put a spotlight on late-night television, as President Donald Trump publicly bemoaned him for a joke made about his wife Melania. What's more, The White House office continues to reference him.

That type of relevance drives ratings to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but it also presents a rare opportunity for the late-night host. Allegedly, Kimmel is now officially in a position where he's able to be the one with the power at the negotiation table:

By the sound of this, it appears as though Kimmel is holding all the cards. Of course, he'll only continue to keep them provided ABC executives feel legitmately convinced he still wants to retire, rather than continue with a lucrative new deal.

According to the report, new deals could involve him having more creative freedom over the show, and then there's an obvious pay raise that could come his way as well. The 58-year-old has offers coming his way, and is reminding people there's always a chance he may not accept any of them:

Jimmy Kimmel is currently on his annual summer break, so there are other celebrities at the desk as he enjoys his time off. He'll eventually return to the 2026 TV schedule, but obviously there's a big question about whether he'll sign a new contract.

There's also a legitimate possibility that Jimmy Kimmel Live! ends, with the host having no plans to change his mind about retirement. Retiring before 60 is a dream for many, and while I don't want to assume, I'm sure Kimmel is doing alright financially. How much money would it take for him to stay? I'm sure it's a question he'd be interested in answering, assuming all these reports are accurate.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! continues weeknights on ABC, with the host usually returning sometime in September after Labor Day. We'll see whether we get an official return date in the coming weeks, or whether contract negotiations affect it in any way.

Jimmy Kimmel is still on his summer break and, in the meantime, guest hosts have been filling in for him. So far, notable stars like Tiffany Haddish and Colman Domingo have held down Kimmel’s post and, later this summer, Rosie O’Donnell will step behind the desk for a week. Ahead of that, rumors are apparently swirling around the comedian, with a source claiming she could permanently take over for Kimmel sometime after her guest stint. Now, O’Donnell is addressing that allegation, and I wasn’t expecting her to mention one detail.

O’Donnell revealed she received an email from a news outlet that said it was “preparing a story reporting that Rosie O’Donnell is eyeing a full-time return to late night after Jimmy Kimmel tapped her to guest host” this August. The outlet’s sources also claimed the ex-talk show host was “willing to go behind his back with ABC executives to make it happen.” In her Instagram post, O’Donnell also included a screenshot of her response to the rumor about her supposed eagerness to return to the “talk show world”:

So it would appear that O’Donnell isn’t after Kimmel’s seat at ABC following her week-long stint on his show later this summer. However, what really stands out to me is the fact that she’s apparently intrigued by the notion of returning to daytime TV. Considering the comic’s life in Ireland, where she moved with her child in 2025, I wouldn’t have expected her to express interest in returning to the hustle and bustle of the TV industry. Still, the daytime space is something O’Donnell knows quite well.

From 1996 to 2002, the New York native headlined The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which proved to be a daytime hit for a while. The show also garnered several Emmy awards, including multiple wins for O’Donnell for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In 2006, O’Donnell joined ABC’s The View, where she clashed with co-panelist Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and eventually left the show in 2007. She’d return to the series, however, in 2014 but left in 2015 due to personal reasons.

The notion of O’Donnell initiating a “takeover” of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is admittedly far-fetched, especially given the support she’s shown for Kimmel in the past . Nevertheless, for some time now, Kimmel has been talking about retirement on and off and, in late 2025, he extended his contract to May 2027. As of this writing, the Man Show alum has yet to divulge exactly how much longer he’ll continue to do his show.

I’m curious as to how long Jimmy Kimmel will remain a part of the ever-changing late-night TV landscape, and I’m equally intrigued about the notion of Rosie O’Donnell returning to the daytime sphere. Personally, I’d like to think that if the formerly dubbed “Queen of Nice” seriously wants to get back in the saddle, network execs will show some interest.

For now, though, see O’Donnell host Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of August 17 amid the 2026 TV schedule.

Ever since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ended on the 2026 TV schedule, it’s been interesting to see how the other late-night shows’ ratings have changed. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings have improved since Colbert’s series ended. Now, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, who is also a friend and outspoken supporter of Colbert, has wryly reacted to his own ratings boost.

Since May, Kimmel’s ratings have been on the rise, and they’re the highest they’ve been in six years among the 18 to 49 demographic. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel Live had a record-breaking month in June, as it averaged 3.15 million viewers. Without context about what happened one month earlier, that’s great news. With the knowledge that Colbert’s show, which was the highest-rated late-night show, ended in May, it’s not as fantastic. When asked about this during a conversation with Variety, Kimmel “slyly” said:

Considering this statement was described as sly, and the track record Kimmel has of supporting Colbert, this comment feels quite sarcastic. The late-night host was very opposed to the cancellation of The Late Show, and he even put up a billboard to support Colbert’s Emmy campaign over his own last year. So even though, yes, a bump in ratings is good, it seems he is considering the unfortunate reason they could be that way.

Plus, in the same report where Kimmel spoke about his “strong” ratings, he also said the door is open if Stephen Colbert wants to come and host Jimmy Kimmel Live. In fact, Kimmel said he asked the former host of The Late Show if he wanted to be a guest host on the ABC program this summer. So, all in all, it’s pretty obvious the two comedians are on great terms, and it would seem that the one still hosting a late-night show is being wry about his own increased ratings.

Across the full season, Kimmel was up 34% from last season, growing from 1.95 million to 2.62 million. That means he’s had his most-watched season of Jimmy Kimmel Live since his 2014-2015 season. So, on a more sincere note, Kimmel explained that these numbers show that people are still interested in late night, and he means all late night, not just his own show:

There’s been plenty of conversations about whether late-night is dying, and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show certainly amplified them. Jimmy Kimmel was also suspended for a few days, which led to questions about the future of the format. However, as he said, there’s clearly still an interest in these programs.

So, while The Late Show came to an end, Jimmy Kimmel Live and others will carry on. To watch Kimmel’s show, specifically, be sure to tune in to ABC weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.

It’s been nearly two months since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was removed from the 2026 TV schedule, and this time has allegedly been hard on Colbert, not to mention his fans. Late-night viewers have had to look elsewhere for celebrity interviews and humorous commentary on current events, and the ratings seem to tell a pretty clear story about where those people went. June’s numbers are here, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! is boasting some of the show’s highest numbers in its 23-year history.

The final episode of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show aired on May 21, and both Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon saw a ratings increase in the aftermath. Now, with a full month of Colbert-free Nielsen data to look at (per TV Insider), ABC has come out on top. Jimmy Kimmel Live! reportedly averaged 3.15 million total viewers in June — 505,000 of those in the coveted 18-49 demographic.

That’s a 24 percent increase in total viewership and a huge 112 percent jump in the demo compared to May’s numbers. In fact, it was Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s best monthly average since it premiered in 2003. Year over year, the late-night ABC show was up 66 percent in total viewers and 69 percent in viewers ages 18-49.

By comparison, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon averaged 1.47 million viewers in June, which was a 4 percent increase from May, but without its NBA Playoff lead-ins from that month, demo viewers fell 19 percent to an average of 195,000.

The cancellation of CBS’ The Late Show is almost certainly the primary reason for the boost to Jimmy Kimmel Live!, especially with Kimmel forming such a bromance with Stephen Colbert. However, Kimmel also benefited from the NBA Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final as lead-ins. On June 3, 5, 8 and 10, Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw more than 700,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo, which was the most since Kimmel returned from his suspension last September.

Also, CBS’ replacement for The Late Show — Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed — has failed to fill Stephen Colbert’s shoes, numbers-wise, averaging just 807,000 total viewers in June (92,000 in the key demo).

An Interesting Twist In Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s Numbers

One of the more interesting facts about the ratings boom that Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw in June is that the host himself wasn’t there for nearly half of the month. Jimmy Kimmel is taking a (voluntary) break for a couple of months, and after the June 18 episode, reruns populated the timeslot through the Fourth of July.

Guest hosts like Tiffany Haddish have ensured that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has definitely not chilled out in the absence of its eponymous leader, and I’m intrigued about how Jimmy Kimmel’s numbers hold up after a full month without him.

Certainly Jimmy Kimmel would never say that The Late Show’s cancellation was a good thing, but in this TV landscape where the major networks are duking it out in the ratings, I’m sure the higher-ups at ABC appreciate Colbert’s fans finding a place to land.

You can catch Jimmy Kimmel Live! (with guest hosts for now) at 11:35 p.m. ET weekdays on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.

Jimmy Kimmel’s been taking a break this summer amid the 2026 TV schedule but, amid his absence, a roster of celebrity guest hosts are filling in for him. The first host up at bat was comedian Tiffany Haddish, who hosted during the week of July 6. During her latest stint headlining Live!, Haddish managed to ruffle a few feathers like Kimmel himself, doing so by making a joke about U.S. President Donald Trump. Her comment even sparked a response from the White House, and we’re going to lay this out.

What Did Tiffany Haddish Say About President Trump, And How Did The White House Respond?

Donald Trump made headlines earlier this month when he intervened in Team USA’s involvement in the World Cup. Per reports, President Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask that he review the red card suspension issued to the team’s star forward, Folarin Balogun. On July 5, Balogun’s suspension was reversed, though the U.S. men’s national team was ultimately dealt a 4-1 loss against Belgium on July 6. During Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s July 7th episode, Haddish poked fun at the Commander in Chief:

At this point, the White House has provided comments on ways in which POTUS and members of his administration have been referenced on TV. For example, the WH spoke out about comments that The View’s hosts made about the president. There have even been unprompted responses from the administration regarding pop culture events, with the White House even reacting to Taylor Swift’s wedding. When it came to the Tiffany Haddish situation, WH spokesperson David Ingle simply said this to USA Today:

Much of social media seemed to take that as shade being thrown at the Masked Singer contestant. But that wasn’t the end of the discussion.

How Did Tiffany Haddish Respond To The White House’s Comment

After Ingle's comment made the rounds, Haddish responded on Live!’s July 8th episode, saying. Needless to say, she didn’t mince words when sharing her thoughts on the perceived slight:

Despite all that, Haddish also said that the notion of being called out by the White House was “exciting” for her. As she put it, it’s “the day that I finally become Jimmy Kimmel.” Of course, Haddish’s comment references the fact that Kimmel has been engaged in more than a few situations involving the president. It was for that reason that Trump responded positively when Kimmel’s show was suspended in 2025 due to comments he made about the death of political activist Charlie Kirk. Earlier this year, Kimmel also drew backlash for saying First Lady Melania Trump looked like “an expectant widow.” Those comments notably came days before the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and Kimmel later defended his comment.

Before he went on vacay, Kimmel lined up some other notable guest hosts, including Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll. Kimmel also notably asked fellow Trump critic Rosie O’Donnell to host later this summer as a “treat” for the president. With that, one has to wonder if O’Donnell (or any other guest host) will follow in Tiffany Haddish’s and Kimmel’s footsteps by making jokes at Trump’s expense.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert may have ended a few months ago, but it's still making an impact on the 2026 TV schedule. That’s because as the 2026 Emmy nominees were named, Colbert’s program got one last laugh as it scored an Outstanding Variety Series nomination.

Coming off its first Emmy win last year, Colbert’s show was nominated this year alongside The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Saturday Night Live. Notably, this year, these shows are recognized under the Outstanding Variety Series category, as the Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series categories were merged into one.

Last year, Colbert’s program won Outstanding Talk Series following news breaking about The Late Show’s cancellation. There were still months of episodes left at the time, and the series came to a close in the middle of 2026, making it eligible for this year’s Emmys.

Now, overall, the competition in this category is strong and fascinating. Last Week Tonight has won ten Emmys. It has won three times in Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and seven times in Outstanding Variety Talk Series. In 2023, it moved from Talk to Scripted series, and after that happened, The Daily Show won Talk Series twice, and The Late Show took home the trophy last year.

This year, all those shows will compete for the same trophy, and the other competition is Jimmy Kimmel Live! And Saturday Night Live, both of which are beloved programs that have good reasons to win too.

Notably, more than one show could take home gold. When this new category emerged, the Television Academy reclassified it as an area award. That means voters don’t select one winner; instead, they answer the question “Does this nominee merit an Emmy?” Any nominee that reaches a 90% “yes” threshold can win, per Deadline.

Even if multiple shows win, I still think Colbert and The Late Show are likely a frontrunner. Considering how his show ended for good this year, I’d guess that many would want to reward the program for its run and give it one last celebration.

Plus, there’s a lot of love for Stephen Colbert. Last year, after his show got canceled and the 2025 Emmy nominees were announced, Jimmy Kimmel actually campaigned for his competitor instead of his own show. He literally put up a billboard in support of The Late Show.

While I don’t know if that kind of thing will happen again, I would assume all the nominated programs will continue to support each other. I mean, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver and Stephen Colbert are pals, and they all appeared on The Late Show in the episodes before it ended this spring.

So, it will be interesting to see who wins this year. However, no matter what, the nomination alone gives Stephen Colbert one last laugh after CBS canceled his show. Yep, he’ll get to celebrate The Late Show one more time months after it came to a close, and I think that’s very deserved.

Now, to see if Stephen Colbert and The Late Show win, you can tune in to the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.

The FCC has been brought up a lot lately when it has come to both daytime and late night shows. Some common programs that have been cited for incidents include Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the recently canceled Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the daytime program The View, the latter of which has been known for touching on hot button topics for years. As the conversation continues, The View is back in the limelight thanks to a committee weighing in on the equal time rule.

Why One Group Thinks The View Should Be Exempt From The Equal Time Rule

The Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press is a non-profit organization that advocates for freedom of the press, as they put it, to “protect democracy.” Recently, they weighed in on The View situation. The View came under fire by the FCC months ago for potential violations of the equal time rule, which states that broadcasts must give equal time to candidates of both parties gunning for the same office.

The rule has been in effect for a long time, but has mostly operated under a news assumption, meaning daytime TV shows and late night have previously enjoyed more freedoms when it came to extending invites to individuals on their shows. The FCC under the Trump administration has been critical of this, and has opened up several investigations and suits.

When it comes to The View, however, ABC has pushed back and has been running ads since June asking viewers to support the longtime series, which famously features a slew of panelists across a range of political spectrums. It’s because of this the Reporters Committee feels the show should be exempt.

In a letter, the organization said that exemptions that were made to the rule way back in 1959 should apply, and latitude should be given to The View, which covers a wide range of topics, and not just politics in an “on-the-spot” manner.

It’s unclear where the investigation into The View will go, but you can read the full letter if you are interested in diving further into the topic. Meanwhile, The View is not the only show that has been in hot water in recent months.

What Happened With Jimmy Kimmel And Stephen Colbert

It’s not The View but Jimmy Kimmel that has landed the most headlines when it comes to the FCC under the Trump administration. The late night host was actually suspended on the very same network as The View after making comments on air about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This wasn’t the first time Kimmel made comments that landed him in hot water either.

However, this time his comments led to ire from the White House and ABC ultimately cutting the late night host from the schedule for a while in order to cool things down… but then the FCC got involved.

Back in January of 2026, the FCC marked its intention to bring back the old Equal Time Rule leading to lively commentary from then still-on-air host Stephen Colbert. Around that time, the agency headed up by Brendan Carr also became a bit of a bee in ABC’s bonnet, forcing Disney to apply for licenses to all eight stations the corporation owns.

It’s not just ABC that dealt with the FCC poking its nose in. Stephen Colbert before his exit had expected to interview Texas Representative James Talarico. In this case the FCC invoked the equal time rule and the already-taped interview was cancelled. Colbert later revealed exactly what happened on air and the story blew up. This actually led to more attention for Talarico, so I'm not sure it all played out how the FCC expected.

This is all to say, this is very much an ongoing situation, and a lot of programs that have seemingly been exempted from this sort of rule in the past are being targeted now. We'll have to see how it plays out at The View, but I'm very confident there will be new wrinkles in the coming months.

Jimmy Kimmel is taking a break from his late-night TV duties for the summer again, and in his place, a series of guest hosts will each fill in for a week. One of the fill-ins being brought in for Jimmy Kimmel Live! is none other than actress, comedian and media personality Rosie O’Donnell, and her hiring is garnering a lot of attention. Some individuals on certain ends of the political spectrum have had strong reactions to O’Donnell joining the show. Now, an expert is weighing in on the alleged principle behind the move.

O’Donnell’s guest host stint was announced by Kimmel during the June 18th broadcast of his titular talk show, at which point he revealed his other replacements for his two-month vacation. At the time, the host quipped that as a “special treat” for U.S. President Donald Trump, he was bringing in “one of his all-time favorites,” Rosie O’Donnell, to “keep the hooks coming.” Kimmel’s comments were meant to reference the fact that O’Donnell had historically been critical of the president like himself.

Public relations expert Christopher Lee – of the Foresight Strategies Firm – recently weighed in on Kimmel’s decision to bring in O’Donnell. While speaking with OK! Magazine, Lee said there were allegedly some key factors that went into Kimmel’s rationale for adding O’Donnell to the guest host list:

O’Donnell also has her fair share of experience when it comes to hosting talk shows, as she headlined her own eponymous series from 1996 to 2002 and won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards. Then, in 2006, O’Donnell became a panelist on ABC’s The View, where she feuded with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and got into heated discussions with others as well. O’Donnell eventually left the show in 2007 and has since been reluctant to return. Her experience and dissatisfaction with President Trump aside, the Harriet the Spy alum also seems to have respect for Kimmel, who she welcomed back after his suspension in 2025.

Among the most vocal opponents of Rosie O’Donnell hosting Kimmel is political pundit Megyn Kelly, who reacted to the news on an episode of her podcast. Kelly called the roster of hosts – which also includes Colman Domingo, Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll – as a “litany of left-wing comedians.” Yet Kelly specifically took issue with O’Donnell’s inclusion and laid out past political comments she’d made. As of this writing, neither O’Donnell nor Kimmel have responded to Kelly’s sentiments.

This summer break comes from Kimmel after what’s been an eventful set of months for him and his staff. As previously alluded to, Kimmel’s show was suspended indefinitely in September 2025 after he made comments in regard to Charlie Kirk’s death. Disney reinstated the series days later after holding internal discussions with Kimmel. More recently, Kimmel joked about First Lady Melania Trump looking like a widow ahead of the alleged assasination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and he received backlash after the fact.

As for what Jimmy Kimmel Live! viewers can expect from these upcoming episodes, that remains to be seen. Tiffany Haddish and Anthony Anderson have hosted the show before, though Rosie O’Donnell, Colman Domingo and others are newcomers to leading the program. The stream of fill-in hosts begins with Haddish on July 6th at 11:35 p.m. ET, and O’Donnell will take to the desk, starting on August 17th amid the 2026 TV schedule.

Back in September 2025, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was at the center of a controversy due to a comment the titular host made in regard to the death of political activist Charlie Kirk. It was eventually decided that Kimmel’s show would be suspended indefinitely, and then-acting Disney CEO Bob Iger was involved with the decision-making. At that time, some speculated whether that move was politically motivated, as U.S. President Trump was among those unhappy with Kimmel. Now, Iger is providing clarity on the rationale behind the choice.

During a broadcast, Kimmel said the public had hit “new lows” over the past weekend due to “MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr subsequently seemed to suggest that ABC’s broadcast license could be revoked due to the comments. It was shortly after that Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group pulled Kimmel from its ABC affiliates.

Kimmel’s suspension came down on September 17, with Iger and then-Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden (who’s since become the company’s president and CCO) making the call. Iger, who stepped down to make way for new CEO Josh D’Amaro earlier this year, spoke to The Financial Times and reflected on the Jimmy Kimmel situation. The businessman denied that politics played a role in the course of action he and Walden took and noted that it was spurred by something else:

It was alleged around that time that execs at Disney weren’t pleased with Iger’s decision to pull the talk show. Some higher-ups allegedly tried to advise Iger of other courses of action to take and, an insider claimed that after he opted for a suspension, some execs saw that as a “betrayal.” Nevertheless, internal conversations with Kimmel were simultaneously underway, and the goal was for all parties involved to find an ideal way to move forward. Eventually, the suspension was lifted on September 22, with the show resuming production the 23rd.

After returning to the air, Jimmy Kimmel said he was surprised his show was suspended at all. The veteran late-night host explained that he “saw it as distortion on the part of some of the right-wing media networks, and [he] aimed to correct it.” Kimmel has also since shed light on some of the discussions he had with network executives while he was off the air. While the Man Show alum admitted he could be “reactionary” at times, he said he also found it “helpful” to have discussions with Walden and others to hear their perspectives.

Mor Kimmel has been involved in another situation involving politics. In April, Kimmel made jokes ahead of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, including a barb about First Lady Melania Trump. Kimmel quipped that Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow.” Those jokes notably came ahead of the reported assassination attempt on POTUS’ life during the aforementioned dinner, and Kimmel received backlash after the fact. But he defended his joke, saying it was “not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is in the midst of its summer stretch of episodes, and guest hosts will take to the desk while Kimmel goes on vacation. As for the controversies that have surrounded the show as of late, it seems the dust has settled. However, it’ll admittedly be hard to forget that suspension saga.

The 2026 TV schedule is going to look a little different this summer when it comes to late-night. After Stephen Colbert wrapped The Late Show in May, Jimmy Kimmel is going to take a break. However, there's no reason to worry about him, as he explained why he's doing this and what's going to happen while he's away.

It’s not unusual for Kimmel to take some time off for the summer holiday. And considering what he went through last year with his brief suspension, he definitely deserves to take some actual time off. During June 18th's Jimmy Kimmel Live! episode (parts of which are on YouTube), the late-night host explained just how long he’d be gone and what would happen with his show while he's away:

Kimmel’s summer break and his rotating guest hosts have definitely become a tradition, and that isn’t stopping this year it seems. This time, we'll get see Tiffany Haddish, Jelly Roll, Anthony Anderson, Ike Barinholtz, Colman Domingo, and Rosie O’Donnell sit in for Kimmel. Overall, it should be fun to see how these folks lead the show while Kimmel takes a little break before coming back to TV.

At the moment, the talk show is airing reruns through the Fourth of July. Then, Haddish will host the week of July 6, according to Variety. It was also reported that Domingo would lead Jimmy Kimmel Live the week of July 20. Dates for the other stars were not specified; however, I know I can't wait to see them each sit behind that desk.

Jimmy Kimmel notably started using guest hosts during the summer of 2020. So, this little summer hiatus for him was likely expected by loyal viewers. In fact, Anthony Anderson has hosted 24 episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live over the years, Jelly Roll hosted two episodes in July 2025, and Haddish headlined one last year too. So, this time around, we'll get a nice mix of returning guest hosts and new faces this summer.

Ironically, by the time Kimmel returns near the end of the summer, someone else from Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be spending some time away from the show. Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, Guillermo, will be on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars, and several pros are already fighting over who gets to be his partner. Unfortunately, that likely won’t be revealed until September, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kimmel were to eventually share his thoughts on who his buddy gets paired with.

So, all around, there's no reason to fret about Jimmy Kimmel and the fate of his show. Any initial concerns are understandable due to Kimmel's previous suspension and the cancellation of The Late Show. If anything, I'm hoping Kimmel enjoys his time off and keeps us abreast of what he's up to via social media. In the meantime, though, let's savor the talents of the hosts that'll be sitting at that desk in the weeks to come.

To see these guest hosts in action, be sure to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live! weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m ET.

I was overjoyed when I learned that Jimmy Kimmel Live’s Guillermo Rodriguez would be dancing around the ballroom when Dancing with the Stars returns on the 2026 TV schedule. However, what made it even better was how hyped the pros were about this announcement. They were so excited, in fact, that a few of them are already trying to call dibs on Jimmy Kimmel’s beloved sidekick.

So far, the Season 35 DWTS cast will include Maura Higgins, who really wants to be partnered with her co-star from The Traitors, Mark Ballas, Summer House’s Ciara Miller and the Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson. Now, Guillermo has joined the mix, and when the show announced his casting on Instagram, a few of the pros were in the comments and making it clear that they want to dance with him:

• Pasha Pashkov: Can you pleeaaasseee be my partner Guillermo?!?🙏😭
• Ezra Sosa: I call dibs 😙👍

Now, in the past, there has been a same-sex partnership on DWTS, as Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson danced together during Season 30. Plus, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas went viral for doing an Argentine Tango together on the show back in Season 33. So, it’s not impossible for a pairing made up of a male star and a pro.

However, it does feel unlikely. Plus, there’s one long-time pro who feels like a shoo-in for this, and she also commented on the post. I’m, of course, talking about Emma Slater, who famously had quite the run with Andy Richter last season. Over in the comments on Guillermo’s casting announcement, she wrote:

Emma Slater certainly does know the power of being partnered with a funny man. She and Richter’s hilarious videos went viral week after week, and people were utterly charmed by their dances. While they weren’t the leaders on the scoreboard, they certainly won over America’s hearts, as Conan O’Brien’s longtime sidekick ended up placing seventh in Season 34.

So, yeah, I think Emma Slater would be the perfect partner for the beloved member of Jimmy Kimmel’s crew. I can already picture their fun dances and hilarious TikToks.

However, I’m getting ahead of myself. We will most likely find out who Guillermo Rodriguez is partnered with when the rest of the cast is revealed much closer to Dancing with the Stars’ premiere date.

Now, along with the pros who were making their cases in the comments to be paired with Guillermo, many others showed their excitement too. This included Daniella Karagach and Brandon Armstrong, as well as DWTS co-host Julianne Hough:

• Brandon Armstrong: I’m a fangirl 🤷🏽‍♂️
• Daniella Karagach: OH MY GOD🙌🙌🙌🙌
• Julianne Hough: Can’t WAIT to have you on the show Guillermo 🔥🔥🔥

Based on the moves Guillermo showed off when his casting was revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, as well as his hilarious history with that talk show, I think all this excitement is very warranted. He’s bound to be a hoot on DWTS, and I cannot wait to see him “set the world of dance on fire.”

Look at those moves! He’s so ready for this, and I love how excited Jimmy Kimmel is about it too.

Clearly, the pros are also thrilled about this development, which only makes his casting even better. Now, to see who Guillermo gets partnered with and how he performs on Dancing with the Stars, you’ll be able to watch the show this fall either on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription.

There’s been a considerable amount of excitement since the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals and brought home their first championship title since 1973. Not only have fans been expressing their elation, but celebrity fans as well. Timothée Chalamet has been living it up, and Jennifer Lopez has been pumped as well. Given all this positive energy around the Big Apple, I’m sad The Late Show isn’t still on so Stephen Colbert can get in on the fun. But, in the late-night realm, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon have been holding it down with that.

Over a year ago, The Late Show was formally canceled by CBS, which cited financial reasons for pulling the plug on the series. The final episode aired on May 21, with Colbert officially signing off after 11 seasons. In hindsight, it's a somewhat cruel irony that the New York-based talk show would end shortly before the Knicks hoisted that Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Considering Colbert’s own sports fandom and athletics-centric segments he’s had, I think he very well would’ve found a way to hype up the Knicks’ win.

I truly wish Colbert would’ve had the opportunity to honor the beloved Knickerbockers in his own unique way, but there’s definitely a silver lining in that his peers haven’t dropped the ball (no pun intended). Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon hyped up the Knicks throughout their playoff run and even attended games. Before the team’s series with the San Antonio Spurs ended, the topic even prompted Fallon to make some Trump jokes. More recently, though, Fallon welcomed the entire team to the show, and it was fantastic:

Seeing so many audience members sporting Knicks gear is great, but the icing on the cake is the presence of filmmaker Spike Lee, a New York native who’s long rooted for the NBA team. Fallon and co. choosing to invite the whole team and coach Mike Brown instead of just a handful of players is also particularly admirable. Even as a Boston Celtics fan, I can more than admit these guys all deserve their time in the sun, and they’ve certainly been getting it.

With that thought in mind, Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s titular host celebrated the Knicks’ victory and poked fun at some of the chaos that ensued in N.Y. after it happened. Kimmel, who lived in Brooklyn as a kid, shared footage of people in the city getting a bit overzealous with public property. Not only that, but the quippy host also shared a video from a tourist, whose first day in the United States coincided with the Game 5 win. Check it all out in the Instagram post:

I’d expect nothing less from Kimmel, who’s known for having a twisted sense of humor. Overall, though, his comments and Fallon’s big to-do represent the unique ways in which talk show hosts can get in on the fun that coincides with a professional sports team winning a championship. So, given all that, it’s hard not to consider what kind of fun segments Colbert and his since-moved-out staff would’ve come up with.

Since The Late Show’s cancellation, the late-night landscape has changed, and that’s benefitted the Jimmys in a way. Both of their respective shows have seen gains when it comes to ratings, which seemingly indicates that viewers have been gravitating towards other talk shows in recent weeks. I could imagine that being bittersweet for Kimmel and Fallon, though, considering they’re both friendly with Colbert and were classy with him up through the end of his show.

There’s a firm chance we’ll never know how Stephen Colbert and co. would’ve commemorated the New York Knicks’ championship run. At present, though, let’s just appreciate that there are still some talk show personalities who are still in the position to celebrate this piece of sports history that now marks the 2026 TV schedule.

Jimmy Kimmel has found himself in hot water over a monologue again. This week he took aim at Spencer Pratt, the reality-star-turned politician who made a bid for Mayor of Los Angeles this year. Pratt’s been in the news for claiming he’d leave LA if he lost, and lost he did. Nithya Raman secured the second Democratic spot and will face Karen Bass in the election. Kimmel then took him to task on late night, and now even Meghan McCain is weighing in. Here’s what’s happening in Tinseltown.

First, for context, you need to know that Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue earlier this week took aim at Pratt’s claims he’d leave LA if he lost the race. Here’s what Kimmel said specifically on late night:

Adding insult, Kimmel even rented the reality star a U-haul to get the heck out of dodge, which some took offense too, given Pratt was running on a platform asking for change after he lost everything in the LA fires last year.

Meghan McCain saw the clip a few hours later and she did not hold back, taking to X with her own response:

Now, it’s not really off-brand for Meghan McCain to weigh in on something she’s not directly involved in. She recently took a dig at daytime TV after Kelly Clarkson decided to exit (though indirectly she definitely has some feelings about daytime programs after her contentious run on The View). She also has taken shots at Gwyneth Paltrow’s frankness over her sex life, and even once bashed And Just Like That, leading the stars to respond. In this case, though, I don’t think Spencer Pratt needed her help.

Pratt Handled The Barb From Kimmel Without McCain’s Help

It's also not off-brand for Jimmy Kimmel to use late night to weigh in on politics. Though it doesn't seem like Spencer Pratt needed McCain's help to respond.

The former The Hills star ran on a Republican platform that focused on issues like crime and emergency management, the latter he felt deeply tied to given he and wife Heidi Montag lost their home in the Pacific Palisades fires in 2025. When Kimmel made his comments on ABC’s late night program, he didn’t sit on his hindquarters. Instead, he responded on social media, bringing up the fire and the loss he’d faced:

He also shared footage of the fire that devastated his home at the beginning of 2025.

Jimmy Kimmel has been more and more in the spotlight over political takes, particularly after his comments on the assassination of Charlie Kirk led to a brief suspension by ABC and a bunch of discourse over what free speech means in a broadcast context. He's caught President Donald Trump's ire in several posts, including one where Trump called him "no way funny as attested in the television ratings." (Editor Note: Kimmel is way up in the ratings since Colbert's cancelation.)

Though Kimmel is not the only late night host to earn this sort of attention, as NBC's Seth Meyers and more have taken flak from our President. Now, it seems he's caught the attention of other outspoken public figures like Meghan McCain. We'll have to wait and see if this story continues or if Pratt's own comeback is the end of the matter.

The late night landscape is rapidly changing. Actually, if you were to ask Jimmy Kimmel, he’d say it’s “being poisoned” and he’s starting to feel “defeated” about his long-term prospects. However, while it was a sad day when Stephen Colbert officially said goodbye to The Late Show on the 2026 TV schedule, it’s actually been pretty good news for the Jimmys, AKA Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

In fact, Colbert’s axing has been good news for both late night hosts. The numbers for the first week of the 11:35 timeslot after The Late Show ended are finally in. Both Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon are up in the ratings, and for one of those shows, the increase has been pretty significant.

It looks like a lot of viewers who were still tuning in for The Late Show did shift to Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week. Ratings reports indicate ABC’s late night show last Monday nabbed 2.185 total viewers. That’s a 53% increase from the same show in the same time period a year ago. (It’s worth noting though that numbers for late night are down a bit during the summer and Kimmel’s show averaged 2.56 million total viewers in Q1 this year.)

More intriguingly, Kimmel also saw 295,000 viewers in the 18-49 advertising demo, which marked an increase of 178%, per TV Insider. That's a huge number, percentage-wise.

Fallon also saw an uptick in numbers during last Monday’s airing, hitting 1.3 million total viewers. That’s up 10% over the same time last year. At 194,000 he also saw a 14% increase in the advertising demo.

It honestly checks out that Kimmel’s numbers would have increased compared to Fallon’s. Kimmel has been critical of the administration and very political in a way Fallon has said he will never be on his show. While Stephen Colbert felt a bit more measured in his late night efforts, what Kimmel is bringing to the table is discourse in a way that Fallon’s fun celebrity games will never be. It makes sense if there is a natural shift to Kimmel after Colbert's exit.

What Is Good News For ABC And NBC Is Less So For CBS

Before the show ended, Stephen Colbert’s Late Night was comfortably beating the competition in the 11.35 slot, though Kimmel had been seeing gains over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen is not carrying those numbers yet. The final episode of The Late Show landed 6.7 million total viewers – the highest numbers since Colbert was given the post Super Bowl slot way back in 2016.

Obviously, Comics Unleashed was not expected to hit those great heights. In fact, I don’t think anyone expected it would even bring in The Late Show’s Q1 2026 average, which was 2.7 million total viewers an episode earlier in the year. So, what did it bring in? Monday’s episode landed Byron Allen’s show 628,000 total viewers. That means the timeslot was down 65% in viewers.

Obviously, CBS had to know the numbers would drop after it switched formats, but as the network itself has told us, the powers that be don’t really care. Byron Allen’s show is actually paying the Eye Network for the timeslot, and has to fill its own ads. This gives Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen more control, while CBS no longer has a behemoth of a series to contend with.

Given The Late Show had a big staff and was a large production, in the end it was allegedly costing the network $40 million in losses a year. On the other hand, Allen taking care of business will net the network $15 million a year. CBS sees it as “a $55 million swing” when it comes to profit; Allen himself told CBS Mornings that number is more like $150 million all in.

Still, while I’m happy for the Jimmys and hope Allen and co. find a way to turn a profit, I do think it’s worth noting that for now it does seem like not all viewers are sticking with the late night scene in Colbert’s absence. Still, any numbers that are going upward and not downward when it comes to TV ratings is a huge win, and it's particularly a big deal given neither Live! nor The Tonight Show had to do anything to earn them.

The fact that we had to sadly say goodbye to Stephen Colbert a couple of weeks ago continues to cast a dark cloud over what the future of late night might look like, we mustn’t forget that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC eight months ago. And here he is on the 2026 TV schedule on weeknights and expected to be on the air at least until May 2027 following a recent contract extension. Kimmel recently got real honest about his attitude about being “micromanaged” by his network and discussed a previous incident you might not remember.

Kimmel Makes New Comments On Suspension

In Jimmy Kimmel’s new profile with Vulture, the late night host got honest about one of his stipulations for coming back to Jimmy Kimmel Live! after famously being pulled off the air last year. In September 2025, he was suspended “indefinitely” when he made comments about the late Charlie Kirk that were deemed offensive by some. After a ton of Hollywood reactions against the move and tons of people cancelling their Disney+ subscriptions as a boycott, Kimmel returned. But it wasn’t without some discussion with ABC. As Kimmel shared:

Previously Kimmel has said he can sometimes be “reactionary”, “aggressive” and “unpleasant”. And per this new interview, he doesn’t think he can maintain his role as a late night host if he was always hovered over by the higher ups.

The Previous Jimmy Kimmel Live Joke That Led ABC To Intervene

While Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension ultimately only lasted a few days, did you know there was a previous incident back in 2013 the show was under hot water for? During a broadcast in October of that year, there was a segment with a panel of children (around 5 to 6 years old) where he asked them questions pertaining to the government.

At one point, when asked how the U.S. should handle its debt to China, one child suggested they “kill everyone in China”. Kimmel played along and leaned into it as a joke asking the rest of the table “Should we allow the Chinese to live?”. Many of the kids shouted “Yes!”, while one child went against the grain saying, “No!”. The segment prompted a ton of backlash and protests.

While Kimmel and ABC issued apologies at the time, now the late night host apparently “regrets” apologizing for the joke, saying this:

At the time of the controversy, Kimmel said he “did not mean to upset” people and felt it was a “mistake putting it on the air” – clarifying that their “objective is to entertain” and would “never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large.”

As Jimmy Kimmel continues to have the microphone on weeknights on ABC, we’ll have to see how he continues to toe the line between making bold jokes and not getting in trouble.

It’s become apparent that the late-night TV industry has seen some massive changes, and that point became even clearer when CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Plenty of talk show hosts have weighed in since then, and the conversation continues in the aftermath of Colbert’s sign-off. Jimmy Kimmel has been particularly vocal about the state of the industry, and he’s acknowledged that a transition is occurring naturally. However, he’s also sharing why he believes the medium is “being poisoned” in a way.

The Late Show’s cancellation was announced in July 2025, at which point CBS’ execs claimed the decision was made due to financial considerations. However, some have theorized that the axe came down due to Colbert openly speaking out against the network’s 60 Minutes lawsuit settlement with U.S. President Trump (which was apparently standing in the way of parent company Paramount’s merger with Skydance). Regardless of the reason for the show being canceled, Kimmel admits to being hurt by it:

Kimmel – who was honored with a Peabody Award this past weekend – previously called out execs over the end of The Late Show. He’s been open about his belief that reports of Colbert’s show losing tens of millions of dollars are untrue. Kimmel has also discussed the elephant in the (green) room, which is the looming possibility of late-night TV drying up for good. However, he still tells Vulture that he thinks talk shows are finding success amid a sea of supposed statistical misinformation:

While illustrating his point, Kimmel references CBS’ decision to renew Colbert’s contract back in 2023, with the host inking a five-year deal. Kimmel questions why the powers that be would even agree to that multi-year extension if Colbert’s show had actually been losing the media conglomerate revenue:

Kimmel’s doubts aside, his assertion that he’s now looking at his own future as a result of The Late Show’s fate suggests that there’s certainly an existential element of this for him. The Man Show alum has been candid about his own late-night future and, even back in 2022, he expressed uncertainty about how long he’d stick with his show. In December 2025, Kimmel did agree to extend his deal to May 2027 yet, even if he were open to re-upping his deal next year, there’s still the question of how ABC would feel about that in this changing market.

As of this writing, though, the Alphabet Network hasn’t given any indication that Jimmy Kimmel Live! isn’t profitable. I’m still intrigued as to what lies ahead for Jimmy Kimmel – as well as fellow hosts like Seth Meyers and John Oliver – in this new era of late-night TV. With The Late Show having reached its conclusion, it’s fair to have genuine concerns about the medium moving forward.

Right now, though, Jimmy Kimmel Live! continues to air weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m ET alongside other talk shows amid the 2026 TV schedule.

Ever since it was revealed that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled, Jimmy Kimmel has been a very loud and passionate supporter of the host. Now, as we approach the final episode of Colbert’s program, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host has shared a heartfelt tribute about his pal and longtime colleague.

During Kimmel’s May 20 monologue, he began with a “programming note” about how his show will be going dark on May 21, “out of respect for our colleague and friend Stephen Colbert.” He then gave a heartfelt tribute to his friend and The Late Show, saying:

Kimmel went on to reflect on the state of late-night television and how the current hosts are all very supportive of one another. Unlike “the old days of late night,” Kimmel, Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are not competitive. In fact, Kimmel, Meyers, Fallon and John Oliver all appeared on The Late Show recently to support Colbert (you can stream that episode with a Paramount+ subscription). Speaking to that point, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said:

I feel like it’s worth noting that this message was placed right at the start of Kimmel’s monologue. He made it clear that his show would be off the air for Colbert’s last episode on the 2026 TV schedule, and he spoke for a while about why this was an important and emotional moment. He also criticized CBS and its choice to cancel The Late Show while doing this, saying:

He then transitioned into his political comedy for the episode by joking that they needed to talk about the people who “forced" The Late Show "off the air.”

Overall, this is another example of how Jimmy Kimmel has been an outspoken supporter of Stephen Colbert. He was quick to share his thoughts on the cancellation right when it happened, he’s appeared on The Late Show in the months since the news broke more than once, and he even put up a billboard telling Emmy voters to vote for Colbert’s show instead of his.

Now, we’ve reached the very end of Stephen Colbert’s run, and Jimmy Kimmel is continuing to support him. The other hosts are too, as The Tonight Show is also going dark alongside Jimmy Kimmel Live to give the 11:30 p.m. slot fully over to The Late Show.

So, to watch Stephen Colbert’s last episode of The Late Show, make sure to tune in to CBS tonight, May 21, at 11:35 p.m. ET.

Stephen Colbert has received a lot of support from his fellow late-night hosts amidst the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, both publicly and privately. We all saw how Jimmy Kimmel and more sounded off against CBS in the aftermath, and Colbert has more recently revealed the funny texts he, Kimmel and Jon Stewart exchanged after the news broke. As The Late Show’s final episode approaches, Kimmel is making another classy gesture as a show of respect to Colbert.

The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to air on the 2026 TV schedule on Thursday, May 21, on CBS, and when it does, it will not be competing with Jimmy Kimmel Live! for viewers. Jimmy Kimmel confirmed to LateNighter that he will not air a new episode of his ABC late-night show next Thursday in deference to Stephen Colbert.

Kimmel reportedly did the same thing back in 2015, when David Letterman signed off for the last time from the CBS series, saying at the time that he had too much respect for Letterman to do anything that might pull people away from his swan song.

Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have formed quite the bromance, as months after The Late Show’s surprising cancellation announcement, Jimmy Kimmel was suspended for comments he made on his show in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death. The hosts have since foregone any essence of competition that they might have from being on opposing networks, appearing as guests on each other’s shows.

While CBS has maintained that the decision to end The Late Show was purely financial, many think politics are at play, as the cancellation came just days after Stephen Colbert criticized CBS for settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

Jimmy Kimmel himself has spoken out about the supposed $40 million loss Stephen Colbert’s talk show accrued, saying that number is “beyond nonsensical.”

Kimmel also showed his support for the CBS host ahead of the Emmy Awards, where they were both nominated for Outstanding Talk Series. The ABC host took out a billboard to throw his support behind The Late Show, writing, “I’m voting for Stephen.” Incidentally, Colbert did win his first Emmy after that, and he gave a sob-worthy acceptance speech about love and loss.

Jimmy Kimmel may be the most vocal of Stephen Colbert’s supporters, but he’s not the only one of their peers who’s stepped up. Conan O’Brien spoke out about silencing the late-night hosts. Jimmy Fallon expressed shock over The Late Show’s cancellation and joined Jon Stewart, John Oliver and more in a great sketch on The Late Show to raise fans’ moods:

I love how much these guys all band together, despite some of their shows airing on competing networks. It’s a remarkable show of respect that Jimmy Kimmel would intentionally step aside so that Stephen Colbert and The Late Show can have the biggest audience possible for their final farewell.

If you want to tune in, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s finale will air at 11:35 p.m. ET Thursday, May 21, on CBS.

As of late, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been embroiled in yet another situation involving the U.S. government. Kimmel received backlash from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump after he made comments on air about the latter looking like an “expectant widow.” Those comments were made during a monologue that aired ahead of the reported White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting situation. Kimmel has since defended his comments and, now, media pundit Megyn Kelly is weighing in on the controversy.

Kelly discussed the Kimmel situation during a recent episode of her eponymous show (which was posted to YouTube). It was during that same installment that Kelly invited comedian Adam Carolla, who notably defended Kimmel’s remarks on a separate occasion. While diving into the topic, Kelly noted the fact that President Trump was calling for Kimmel to be fired from his late-night post amid the 2026 TV schedule. From there, the former Fox News pundit said this while addressing Carolla:

Jimmy Kimmel made his comment during a faux White House Correspondents' Dinner roast featured during the opening monologue of his April 23rd broadcast. While the segment didn’t initially seem to garner much attention, the backlash ensued after a man subsequently appeared at the real Correspondents’ Dinner with multiple guns and allegedly sought to kill the president. Since then, Donald Trump and others have been adamant about ABC and Disney firing Kimmel.

Eventually, the Federal Communications Commission – or FCC – issued some advice for Disney. Commission chairman Brendan Carr specifically suggested that the House of Mouse take steps to apply for broadcast licences for the eight ABC stations it currently owns. This request is related to an investigation involving ABC and Disney’s alleged violations of the government’s new DEI regulations. Now, given the FCC’s move, the renewal deadline has been set at May 28, which marks an early renewal benchmark, as 2028 was previously the earliest point at which those processes would be necessary.

As previously alluded to, this isn’t the first time Jimmy Kimmel has drawn the ire of President Trump or a response from Brendan Carr. All of them were tied within the same headlines last fall when Kimmel’s show was suspended indefinitely due to comments he made that were related to the death of political pundit Charlie Kirk. Said suspension also came down after Carr suggested that ABC’s broadcast licence could be revoked as a result of the comments. While Trump also called for Kimmel’s firing, the host’s show was eventually reinstated.

Jimmy Kimmel received support during that first broadcast brouhaha, with some right-leaning media personalities even backing him as well. What’s particularly notable about Megyn Kelly’s support this time around is that she called for Kimmel’s firing during the first situation. Kelly has also notably called out Kimmel and other hosts for the way in which they convey their political opinions on air. Still, Kelly’s recent comments suggest she’s in Kimmel’s corner this time, and time will tell how others might weigh in as well.

New episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! air weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

Just when you think any amount of dust has settled regarding Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the U.S. government, the air once again becomes thick with contention. First it was Melania and Donald Trump railing on Kimmel for his pre-weekend joke describing the First Lady as an “expectant widow,” followed by the POTUS calling on ABC to cut ties with the longtime host. Kimmel has since defended himself, but then the FCC got involved…but not really.

The FCC Is Ordering Disney To Go Through Early Licensing Renewals For ABC

Earlier on Tuesday, FCC chairman Brendan Carr — the same guy who previously attempted to enforce an ages-old equal partisan stipulation for late night and daytime TV — ordered Disney to go through the process of applying for broadcast licences for the eight ABC stations that the corporation owns, making May 28 the new deadline. For context, Variety reports that 2028 was previously the earliest year when the renewals were required, and some weren't necessary to get into until 2031.

The reason Carr and the FCC provided for the out-of-nowhere demand is tied to a probe into Disney and ABC over alleged violations of the government's revised take on DEI practices. But without citing any recent incidents that would have directly sparked such action being taken. Here's some of what the order stated:

Disney later shared a response statement that also avoided any mention of Jimmy Kimmel and his controversial comments, while sticking to the belief that the probe will come up empty.

The eight Disney-owned ABC stations are located across the country in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Fresno, San Francisco and Raleigh-Durham.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez Tells Disney To "Stand Firm"

Despite working for the agency that set up the demands, FCC commissioner Anna Gomez called the licensing demands out as being motiviated by politics, with an aim to unlawfully silence a TV host. As she put it (via Deadline):

Jimmy Kimmel previously caused ire for the President and others in 2025, when he was suspended over comments made in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting death. That move was widely condemned as being unconstitutional, and the FCC reportedly fielded more complaints about the suspension than the comment that caused it.

To that end, Gomez continued her condemnation and voiced the idea that the only response is to hold strong, saying:

It's possible that there will be another half-dozen updates in this story by the time the next episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! hits the 2026 TV schedule, so stay tuned.

Just hours after both President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called for his firing, Jimmy Kimmel responded during his opening monologue on last night’s show. He defended the joke they were both incensed about and said it wasn’t a call to violence but instead a “light roast” that was about the age difference between the first couple.

Last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host held a fake White House Correspondents Dinner, a few days ahead of the real White House Correspondents Dinner. He included footage of President Trump, Melania Trump, their family, members of the President’s Cabinet and various celebrities. During the bit, he said Melania had “a glow like an expectant widow.” The shot didn’t attract much attention at the time, as Kimmel is frequently critical of The Trumps on his late night show, but after a man broke into the White House Correspondents Dinner with multiple guns, allegedly attempting to kill the President, the joke started circulating.

On Monday, both President Trump and Melania Trump put out social media posts calling on Disney and ABC to do something about Kimmel’s behavior. The President directly called for him to be fired, while Melania more broadly told the network to “take a stand.” She also called him a “coward,” while the President took shots at his “terrible television ratings.”

During Kimmel’s response, which lasted more than ten minutes, he went over the timeline of what happened. He was, at times, empathetic to The Trumps and everyone who was at the White House Correspondents Dinner for going through such a traumatic event. He reiterated his stance against gun violence and agreed that the temperature of the political rhetoric needs to be lowered, before pointing the finger at the President himself and implying he’s the one who has turned up the volume. He also defended the joke and said it wasn’t a call for violence but instead supposed to be a shot at the age gap in the relationship. Here’s a portion of his quote…

This isn’t the first time Kimmel has found himself at the center of controversy over remarks he made on his show. Last year, he was taken off the air in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination. He accused Trump’s supporters of trying to use the political commentator’s murder to score points by “trying to characterize” the killer as “anything other than one of them.”

Exactly what he meant by the comments and whether he was trying to imply Kirk was shot by one of his own followers became the subject of a loud political debate. After the two companies that own the majority of local affiliate stations said they wouldn’t carry his show, Kimmel was suspended by ABC, though he was eventually reinstated.

Over the last decade, American late night shows have become increasingly political and in the eyes of many, divisive. Kimmel’s chief rival, Stephen Colbert, will be finishing up later this year, and many believe the decision to end his show was related to how political he’s become. Kimmel too has gotten louder and louder in recent years, though ABC has remained supportive, at least apart from his suspension last year, which is notable given larger issues that are also happening with late night in general.

It's unclear how ABC executives might feel about this latest Kimmel controversy or the way he addressed it, but it's worth noting his entire monologue has been made available to watch on YouTube. You can check it out below...

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on weeknights at 11:35 ET. Right now, the assumption from fans is that he'll be on again this evening, despite the President's calls for his termination. My guess is he won't directly address this controversy again, as everyone involved is likely eager to move on, but if the President drops additional statements today or the network gets involved, then the host may have no choice but to talk about it again.

It would be an understatement to say that the late-night TV landscape has evolved considerably in recent years, and that’s become harder to ignore. Veteran host Jimmy Kimmel is fully cognizant of those changes and, with that, he hasn’t held back in sharing his thoughts. Kimmel has been candid about late night’s future, opining that the medium, as the public knows it, probably won’t last too much longer. With that said, Kimmel recently revealed one reason he still has hope for new talent hoping to break into show business.

What Have Jimmy Kimmel And Others Said About The Future Of Late-Night TV?

Kimmel has discussed the future of late-night TV a few times in recent years and, during an interview from 2024, he got real about addressing the “elephant in the room.” At that point, Kimmel admitted he wasn’t sure if there would be any late-night talk shows on network TV in a decade, citing the changes in viewer preferences as a key reason for that. Late Night host Seth Meyers was also cautiously optimistic about what might lie ahead for the medium in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Conan O’Brien got honest about the future of television, noting that there were people who were scared of what might happen in the years to come. O’Brien said he was still planning to remain upbeat for several reasons, though. As the former Conan host put it, “streaming changes the pipeline, but the connection, the talent, the ideas that come into our homes,” remains the same.

Still, it’s hard not to take notice of the changing dynamics, considering the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, which will be signing off this coming May. All in all, we can’t say exactly what the talk show landscape will look like but, Jimmy Kimmel is looking forward to at least one thing in the near future.

Why Jimmy Kimmel Is (Still) Excited For What Lies Ahead, Despite The Late Night Landscape

Kimmel is of the same generation of talk-show hosts that includes the likes of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien, and they found TV success by traveling down different avenues within the comedy sphere. Of course, the dynamics are quite different now for myriad reasons.

In short, it’s now become harder for comics or other prospective hosts to get their foot in the door, so to speak. Kimmel recently brought up a great point about up-and-comers while appearing on IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson:

The Internet – specifically social media – has indeed opened the floodgates for comedic talent to find more unique ways of jumping into the entertainment business. In many ways, gone are the days of hopeful hosts and writers going the route of landing gigs at radio or TV stations and working their way up. That was key for the talk show host pipeline, and it produced some talented stars. While Kimmel knows some people are wary of how the web is changing the comedy game, he’s down for it:

So, given the uncertainty involving late night, young comics can indeed find a niche in other ways, and that could lead to a fresh assortment of content down the road. Still, it’s hard not to think about the direction that the talk show business is heading in as a whole. We'll have to wait and see when late night wraps this TV season, then returns to the 2026 TV schedule this fall.

Mike Rowe has made a name for himself, in part, by highlighting professions that require hard work (and can include some messy situations). That was especially true of Rowe’s long-running Discovery Channel series, Dirty Jobs, on which he got a taste of different careers, from sewer inspector to animal control specialist. Rowe also tried his hand at plumbing on an episode, and he recently took issue with plumber-related comments Jimmy Kimmel made during episodes of his show.

During the March 24th broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host commented on former Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin, who was recently named the Secretary of Homeland Security. Kimmel mentioned that Mullin used to be a “low-level MMA fighter and a plumber” and mused that “we have a plumber protecting us from terrorism.” On the March 26th episode, Kimmel said he wasn’t criticizing plumbers and added, “I wouldn't put a plumber in charge of homeland security for the same reason I wouldn't call a five star general to pull a rat out of my toilet.”

Rowe shared his response to Kimmel’s remarks on X, where he also included a photo of himself in front of a clogged toilet. Via his lengthy response, the media personality reflected on Kimmel’s comments and the backlash the host received for them. From there, Rowe talked about a person being able to choose whether they were “offended” and questioned whether people could be given the space to grow:

Also, in that message, Rowe seemed to agree with the “skill” aspect of Kimmel’s assessment. However, the Somebody’s Gotta Do It star also made an analogy to illustrate another point:

Rowe has long spoken out in support of those who participate in craftsmen-based positions and, through his shows, he has highlighted essential workers. While Rowe has been real about some of the worst gigs he had on Dirty Jobs (which aired 10 seasons between 2013 and 2023), he seems to appreciate those experiences. He previously used the military to illustrate his love for the show, saying that he appreciates that the people who work those tough jobs typically have a “band of brother mentality” while at work.

As of this writing, Jimmy Kimmel has not responded to Mike Rowe’s social media post. Time will tell if Kimmel will address his plumber comments again on air, as the latest season of his show continues amid the 2026 TV schedule. When it comes to whether Rowe would be open to a dialogue, that remains to be seen, as he said at the end of his message that “I’d love to chat but I’ve gotta pull a rat out of my toilet…”

According to some, late-night television is losing money hand over fist, and yet, it feels like we’re talking about late-night television now more than we have in years. Between the abrupt departure announcement of Stephen Colbert to the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, there are a lot of strong opinions about what’s going on in the late-night space, as demonstrated by the fact that more than 1600 people wrote letters to the FCC following Kimmel’s suspension.

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act Request The Hill has obtained every letter written to the Federal Communications Comission following the monologue that resulted in Jimmel Kimmel being suspended by ABC, and the suspension itself, there were apparently more than 1,645 letters written intotal, and while three were approximately 30 complaints sent in regarding what Kimmel said, the rest were critical of what ABC did in response.

A Few Complained About Jimmy Kimmel To The FCC

On September 15, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel made comments regarding the death of political commentator Charlie Kirk on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live! Some viewed the jokes as making light of a tragic event, and Chairman of the FCC Brendan Carr made comments suggesting that ABC’s affiliates refuse to carry the program in response. Following those comments, major affiliate groups Nexstar and Sinclair did exactly that, leading ABC to suspend Kimmel indefinitely.

In the days following Kimmel’s comments, some took issue with what Kimmel said. One letter highlighted by The Hill accused Kimmel of distorting the truth about the murder of Kirk and also said…

It’s clear that there were people who were upset enough by Kimmel’s comments to inform the FCC. However, the vast majority of associated complaints were targeted at the FCC, as well as ABC.

Far More Complained About Kimmel's Suspension

While a few asked the FCC to take action against Kimmel, many more complained about the action that had been taken. Hundreds of people complained about Kimmel being suspended for his comments, and many took aim at the FCC itself and the comments made by Carr, which many felt had instigated the entire thing. One comment from Tennessee said…

While many spoke directly to the FCC, others seemingly expressed their frustration with ABC’s owner, Disney. Cancellations of Disney+ and Hulu reportedly spiked following Kimmel’s suspension, a fact that Kimmel himself joked bout when he eventually returned to his show about a week later.

Clearly, of the people who felt strongly enough to write to the FCC, they felt the reaction was worse than the issue that caused it. This likely won't be the last time that's the case, though it will be interesting to see if the reaction changes the way incidents like this are handled in the future.

For myriad reasons, it feels like the late-night landscape is changing. From Stephen Colbert’s show getting canceled and Jimmy Kimmel’s program being taken off the air last year to a slew of online creators becoming prominent in the interview space, it feels like we’re in a major moment of evolution. Now, Bowen Yang, who left Saturday Night Live partway through Season 51 and hosts a very successful podcast with Matt Rogers, has made it clear that he does not want late-night to die.

For years, Yang and his friend and fellow comedian Matt Rogers have hosted a successful podcast called Las Culturistas. They’ve interviewed A-listers like Tina Fey, Chappell Roan, Jennifer Lawrence and many more, and they hosted their own award show on Bravo last year. Along with all that, they were featured in a Vanity Fair article about the rise of digital creators who are “shattering the talk show format” and creating a “new late night.”

However, while they’re making waves with their own podcast, Yang made it clear that he is still a big supporter of classic late-night shows, saying:

There’s no question that what happened to these two late-night hosts was unexpected, and it feels like a sign that things are changing. Yang believes that, too, because when Colbert got canceled, he reacted, explaining that it was “tragic” and “a really dark day” for late-night television. Following the news that The Late Show would air its final episodes on the 2026 TV schedule, the comedian also wondered how SNL could be impacted by big changes like this.

Obviously, Jimmy Kimmel Live! getting suspended last fall after FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened ABC, also created questions about the future of late-night television. While Kimmel did return to the air, his show's suspension due to comments he made on air about Charlie Kirk left many concerned about the ripple effects a move like this could have.

So, considering all of that, Yang ended his comment by saying:

Overall, there are a lot of factors that play into the future of late-night. Colbert and Kimmel’s situations emphasized them too, as they’ve pointed out financial and potential political challenges that are being presented.

Meanwhile, a new crop of creators, like Yang, Hot Ones’ Sean Evans, Royal Court’s Brittany Broski, Therapuss’ Jake Shane and more are making waves through their interviews, creating a new generation of personalities who conduct work that is redefining the interview game.

Bowen Yang is one of said creators. He left Saturday Night Live mid-way through Season 51, and while he has a flourishing film and TV career, his impact on the internet cannot be denied. His and Matt Rogers podcast is a big deal, and they get major guests (like late-night hosts do). However, he’s also still a fierce ally of late-night TV and wants to see it protected at all costs.

Bill Maher is no stranger to ruffling feathers, and he hasn’t been shy about sharing his opinion on how Jimmy Kimmel and others use political humor on their late-night talk shows. And while HBO’s Real Time host likely doesn’t apologize very often for his views, he did express regret for offending Kimmel and acknowledged that they “may never talk again” over things he’s said. Still, Maher told Adam Carolla, he still doesn’t think Kimmel is an “a--hole.”

On Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Jimmy Kimmel’s name came up as Maher welcomed Adam Carolla as his guest. Carolla is a longtime friend of Kimmel’s, as they used to co-host The Man Show on Comedy Central, and Maher acknowledged his supposed feud with Kimmel, telling his guest:

Bill Maher and Adam Carolla had started to butt heads during a conversation about white privilege, and the podcast host used that to bolster his argument that some people were willing to talk through issues they disagreed about, while he suggested Jimmy Kimmel was the type of person to reject anyone who wasn’t exactly aligned with him. Maher continued:

Bill Maher admitted he “did a mea culpa” with Jimmy Kimmel over email, not over what Kimmel was upset about, Maher said, but about how he’s “a little brash” in his hosting style compared to Kimmel and the other current late night hosts. He said:

As for what that “latest thing” was that made Jimmy Kimmel upset, Bill Maher didn’t specify, though Adam Carolla admitted he had heard about it, presumably from his Man Show co-host.

Back in September when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended by ABC for some of the host’s comments, Bill Maher said he was “forthright” in his support for Jimmy Kimmel, despite not agreeing with his sentiment. When Kimmel returned, he thanked a number of his fellow hosts, including some right-wing pundits who had spoken in his defense. Maher, however, was not mentioned.

In November of what was all-around a tumultuous year for Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Maher also called out the late-night host’s wife Molly McNearney for saying on a podcast that she’s lost relationships with family members over their support of Trump. On his show, Maher said at the time (via EW):

It’s certainly a touchy situation when you involve someone’s wife in your political commentary, regardless of how much you might align on other issues. Of course, we don’t know if it was Bill Maher’s reaction to Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC suspension that offended him, Maher’s comments about his wife or something else entirely. Either way, it doesn’t sound like these two will be making appearances on each other’s shows anytime soon.

You can stream Real Time with Bill Maher each Friday with an HBO Max subscription, or catch Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35 p.m. ET weeknights on ABC.

It feels like I’ve been preparing for the arrival of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s Wuthering Heights upcoming book-to-movie adaptation for practically forever. In reality, it’s probably only been a few months, and also I only just found out the movie’s plot isn’t what I thought it was. However, as the flick ramps up to hit the 2026 release schedule next month, we are starting to get actual press looks. I’m pleased to report Margot Robbie is back on the method dressing bent.

Much has already been written about the fashion in Wuthering Heights. CinemaBlend actually was able to speak to the costume designer earlier this year, who told us 45-50 different looks were created just for Cathy, Margot Robbie’s character. In other interviews, Margot Robbie has admitted her character only wears three colors: Black, white and red. And it looks as if that will be holding true for the actress during promo as well.

In a post from her stylist Andrew Mukamal – who also worked with her to create the Barbicore trend in exhausting detail – Margot Robbie is seen wearing black and white looks for the new film. They come from Victoria Beckham’s line, and she also reshared the post, giving it her stamp of approval. Take a look:

In his post, Mukamal also pointed out the bit of Emily Bronte’s text that seemingly inspired the looks, writing:

The scene’s from midway through Wuthering Heights, when Catherine Linton has locked herself in a room for days to consider her childhood on the moors with Heathcliff. She threatens dying to her servant Nelly, and rends her pillows apart, speaking about which birds the feathers came from. It’s a wild scene to be the inspiration for such composed outfits, but I like that’s where Margot Robbie and her stylist’s brains went.

The looks are from Victoria Beckham’s SS2026 line, and perfect timing given the feather reference inspiration, by the way. The designer and social media personality reposted the looks and confirmed more details about them, also sharing the post to Charli XCX's "Chains of Love," which heavily features in the Wuthering Heights trailer.

Separately, Margot Robbie wore black again during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Her stylist also posted about this look, noting it's Alexander McQueen.

While Margot Robbie has been known to rock black and white in the past, it does seem the black and white theme is here to stay. However, given red is the third color in the palette, I’m hoping at some point the two will pull out the bolder, more vivid color for one of the Wuthering Heights premiere red carpets. Only time will tell, but I do believe it's safe to say some epic celebrity fashion moments are on the way.

With Stephen Colbert set to visit Seth Meyers’ Late Night for the first time in over a decade, we’re as far away as can be from the talk show was of yesteryear. Only now, instead of infighting amongst hosts, it’s the U.S. government stoking ire via the FCC and chairman Brendan Carr. The agency once again took aim at the talk show circuit with a recent announcement, giving Colbert a rare moment to actually celebrate the fact that CBS already canceled The Late Show, and that he only has four months left to go.

The FCC announced its intention to begin reinforcing the 98-year-old Communications Act, which was first crafted to address the rise of television programming. In modern times, the core part of the regulations that remains arguably relevant is the section speaking to non-news programming allowing equal opportunity for political partisans to appear. So if a Democratic candidate gets an invite, a similar invite needs to be given to someone equally qualified on the opposite side of the aisle.

The rule went under the radar for years due to a “bona fide” exception granted to programs qualified as “news,” and only now is Brendan Carr making a fuss to declare that late night and daytime TV talk shows (such as The View) do not factor in as news fare. This could totally change the way late night shows play out across the 2026 TV schedule, but Stephen Colbert was only too happy to point out that he won’t be around for that long haul, saying in a Late Show segment:

Obviously, Stephen Colbert isn't sincerely enthused about losing his job in four months, and his dismay over it never seems to be far from the surface. But considering just how many politically charged issues have sprouted up for CBS and Paramount over the past year, I imagine he might have found fewer and fewer reasons to enjoy going in to work each day. Jimmy Kimmel can speak to some of that, having faced a temporary suspenion in 2025 over comments made in relation to Charlie Kirk's shooter.

Colbert's late night bromance with Jimmy Kimmel has grown quite a bit over the years, and 2025 was something of a banner year between the latter's suspension and the former's cancellation. So it definitely makes sense that Colbert would call his ABC buddy out, knowing Kimmel would still be suffering the revived Communications Act until the rest of his own contract runs out.

Speaking to the idea that the FCC is re-imposing this rule to stop late night or daytime TV from providing an optimal political advantage, Colbert pointed to that argument's logical fallacy, saying:

Whatever ends up happening with the FCC's new push for equal opps for political rivals for TV chats, I can only hope that the Late Show's joke about the long-dormant talk show Cthulhu Tonight gets turned into reality in one way or another. Honestly, I just want to see how the Great Old One drinks from that mug.

With around four months left to go, barring any last-minute changes from CBS' brass, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET, and streams the next day via Paramount+ subscription.

There’s no question that President Donald Trump has taken aim at late night television, while many of the hosts on late night television have thrown jabs at everything from the current administration to even those White House Ballroom changes. Surprisingly, former late night host Conan O’Brien recently explained why he feels “getting so angry” over politics while onstage can take over one’s personality and can be a dangerous game to play. This in turn, prompted Megyn Kelly to weigh in on Conan’s thoughts, but also late night TV in general.

What Did Conan O’Brien Say About ‘F–k Donald Trump’

You may have seen the headlines already. A few days ago, Conan O’Brien spoke at an event for Oxford Union where the TV and Internet personality declared it’s a bit dangerous to devote one’s entire personality to “f–k Donald Trump.”

He said it’s the job of a comedian to channel that anger into something that’s a little more thought-provoking and edgy or you are in danger of simply not being funny anymore.

Conan doesn’t feel it’s the job of a comedian to be so serious, but lots of people on the Internet are now taking his comments and weighing in, tying them to late night hosts like Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel in particular. Megyn Kelly's the latest example, and she recently spoke out on her own platform The Megyn Kelly Show.

How Megyn Kelly Feels About Late Night (And Conan O’Brien’s Opinions)

Megyn Kelly told podcaster Link Lauren that when she was watching Conan’s comments, she felt it was clear he was taking aim at the three late night hosts: Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.

Jimmy Fallon largely escapes Ms. Kelly’s wrath unscathed. While he occasionally does make a Trump joke, tonally Fallon isn’t interested in getting political on his late night show outside of the occasional monologue dig. He’s better known for playing silly games with celebrities than making pointed statements, and he's been open about why The Tonight Show doesn't get political in the past.

However, Kelly went hard on her critique of some of the other late night hosts. Yet back in 2011, she actually appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and told a gracious story about being invited to the White House to meet with then President Obama and his wife Michelle.

More than a decade later, she's less civil about the late night host after he compared his viral suspension from ABC to a "near death experience." She spent another chunk of her show calling Jimmy Kimmel “this multimillionaire privileged asshole” who was “off the air” for all of “five days,” but was complaining nonetheless. This comes after she commented on his return to late night in September, saying at that time she felt that because of Kimmel's politics, he got reinstated rather than "cancelled."

This isn't the only time the host has been on a tear against Tinseltown, recently complaining about Bruce Willis and other Hollywood celebs she had negative interactions with. She said here it's become a "Trump bashing session" with the entertainment crowd, and this seems to be her way of responding.

Meanwhile, while Kelly seemed to identify Conan O'Brien as talking about late night hosts, O'Brien is a former late night host himself, and even recently gave Stephen Colbert advice about what's next after ending his show.

2025 was quite the memorable year for Jimmy Kimmel and his dedicated late night crew, though definitely not always in the most positive ways. Jimmy Kimmel Live! faced a surprising temporary suspension over controversial comments made by the host, and not long after returning to the airwaves, the show’s crew mourned the death of bandleader Cleto Escobedo III. Then, before bowing out for the holidays, the comedian revealed a contract extension keeping the show around until May 2027. But changes are coming.

While fans can still look forward to watching ABC’s lone late-night staple for at least another 17 months, Deadline reports that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will once again be cutting back on the number of musical performances set to take place throughout the year. The total number of musical acts was already at a much-depleted level compared to years past, simply due to there being fewer late night talk shows on broadcast and cable, and it’ll only drop further as the 2026 TV schedule gets going.

Though Jimmy Kimmel Live! hasn’t exactly followed a formalized schedule, and the number of musical performances has varied from week to week over the years, the new mandate states that the show will now feature music acts appears twice a week, on average, per THR. It’s not a set-in-stone number, and there will be fluctuations on that front, but the general idea is to lower that number on the whole.

It’s reported that JKL!’s music producer Jim PItt reached out to several people in recent weeks about the plans to cut back the number of musical guests, though the outlet points out that its sources claimed they were not given a specific reason for why the changes are happening. Though one might surmise that the talk show’s episodes could get cut in half for 30-minute slots, that apparently isn’t the case here. Or, at least, that specific outcome hasn’t been shared with anyone.

Without a key factor publicized to justify the decline in musical acts, the easiest assumption to make would be that producers are aiming to save whatever money possible. (Just look at CBS’ claims that The Late Show’s financial losses are the reason for its cancellation, an argument that Kimmel himself called B.S. on.) Over on NBC, Late Night with Seth Meyers lost Fred Armisen and his band in 2024 due to budget cuts, and that series only rarely brings in other musical acts these days.

Late night talk shows used to deliver one of the biggest stages for bands and solo artists to aspire to reach, as well as stand-up comedians, but it appears as if that connection is going the way of the dodo bird. Kimmel himself doesn’t think late night talk shows are that close to extinction yet, but he also isn’t so bullish about where things are going.

Relive this medley performance from De La Soul from December as a reminder that there aren't many places left on TV proper to see this kind of thing.

Now back with new episodes, Jimmy Kimmel Live! Airs weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET.

2025 was a big year in the late-night television space, and all signs point to 2026 being no less monumental. As just one example, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to come to an end. However, despite a significant suspension, Jimmy Kimmel is going to hang around for a bit longer, and he thinks the late-night talk show will as well, even if it does go through some significant changes.

Speaking to reporters last night at the Critics’ Choice Awards, where Jimmy Kimmel Live! won the award for Best Talk Show, the title host said that he thinks that shows with the same format as his will continue on television for the foreseeable future, even if it’s possible they won’t end up airing as “late-night” shows.” Kimmel said (via People)…

In an era of streaming television where the vast majority of content is available “on demand,” it’s not hard to imagine a late-night talk show format program not being a “late-night” show. It could be released at any time, and still give viewers exactly what they’re looking for.

One element that’s worth noting in Kimmel’s comments is that he indicates that one of the reasons to keep late-night shows around is that they are, compared to other shows, far cheaper to produce than scripted TV. It’s interesting considering one of the reasons given for the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show is that it’s not making enough money. It’s an argument Jimmy Kimmel has specifically taken issue with.

Having said all that, the shows could get cheaper still, as Kimmel suggests that future late-night shows might have to do without some of what they’ve had up to this point. He continued…

It’s not all cutbacks, however. Jimmy Kimmel went on to say that such a new generation of late-night shows might possibly open doors to people who haven’t previously had such opportunities, which could even create a renaissance in the format. Kimmel explained…

A lot remains to be seen about the future of late-night TV. Hopefully Jimmy Kimmel is right and the future isn’t as bleak as it may seem. While Kimmel recently signed a new contract, indicating he’ll be around at least another year, it’s far from clear what will happen to the show from there.

2025 was a wild year in late-night television, but 2026 has started out pretty well for Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel Live! Took home the Critics' Choice Award for Best Talk Show last night, and as part of his acceptance speech, Kimmel made reference to his headline-making suspension, thanking those who stood by him through the ordeal.

Kimmel's speech called the last year of his show “tumultuous,” which is something of an understatement considering there was a period where he, and the rest of us, had no idea his show would even be on the air. Kimmel said…

Some of Kimmel’s “fellow nominees” had an even rougher year than he did. While Kimmel was suspended, The Late Show Starring Stephen Colbert was straight-up cancelled. The show, which began in 1993 under the host David Letterman, will end this May following a decision by CBS to cancel it, citing financial reasons.

While it’s been suggested that Colbert’s cancellation was more of a political move, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel had more overt causes. Kimmel was suspended for comments following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. While Kimmel has said he never made light of the death, he also argued that the issue was one of free speech, considering that the Chairman of the FCC suggested affiliates should stop carrying the show, shortly before exactly that happened. Kimmel thanked all those who stood by him, saying…

Kimmel jokes that the situation regarding his suspension was the reason he won the Critics' Choice Award last night. It’s certainly possible there’s some truth in that. It's hard to argue that the whole situation didn't raise his profile, leading to some of the best ratings his show has seen in years. Perhaps more of the critics saw it at that point leading to the award.

Jimmy Kimmel isn’t quite done yet. While the host has flirted with retiring from the show before, he recently signed a one-year contract extension, so he’ll be sound for at least one more TV season after the current one ends. That means there’s at least one more chance for him to win this award next year.

With Christmas just days away, many scripted and unscripted shows have taken breaks until the 2026 TV schedule takes over, with the final episodes of Stranger Things being the monster-sized exceptions. The late night is understandably also taking off for the holidays, meaning any and all of the biggest entertainment news stories happening in the next two weeks won’t be talked about by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers.

They will surely have a lot to share when each host's respective show returns in the new year. But when will that actually be? Let's run down the list of network TV staples.

When Does The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Return?

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon aired its final 2025 show on Thursday, December 18, which gave Fallon just enough time to burn off all of the Stranger Things coverage ahead of the Volume 2 and Volume 3 releases. This holiday week's installments will include reruns of previous episodes, according to Entertainment Weekly.

There doesn’t seem to be a confirmed return date as of yet. It can be expected that The Tonight Show will remain on break through at least next week, with a possible return either the first or second full week of January.

When Does Jimmy Kimmel Live! Return?

After a rough end to the year, Jimmy Kimmel is taking a much-deserved break for the holidays. Since 2023, Kimmel has taken off for the last two weeks of the year, per EW, and that trend is continuing this year. Just like with The Tonight Show, there will be reruns in place of new episodes this week and next week. His final episode of 2025 was on Thursday, where he tearfully reflected on the year, not long after ABC renewed his contract through 2027.

An exact return date has not been revealed, but it will likely arrive in early January.

When Does The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Return?

Stephen Colbert has officially taken his final holiday break before his final run of shows in 2026. These final two weeks of 2025 will consist of reruns, according to EW, with Colbert coming back in the new year to kickstart the final five months of his run before ending in May.

Celebrities and fellow late-night hosts have been speaking out about the cancellation, with Kimmel even using his platform to campaign for Colbert’s Emmy rather than his own. Additionally, Hugh Jackman did a rendition of “Sweet Caroline” to account for the devastating cancellation, and it was as perfect as ever. No return date has been given, but fans should be able to look forward to The Late Show’s return in early January.

When Does Late Night with Seth Meyers Return?

Seth Meyers is also off for the holidays, with NBC showing reruns of the late-night talk show, per EW. The break comes after President Trump called for all of late night to be canceled and after Meyers had guests such as Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, doing a Day Drinking segment with the latter. As of yet, a return date has not been announced, but will likely be in early 2026 as well.

Stay tuned for more late night updates, and know that if you hear clatter on your rooftop, it definitely isn't Jimmy Fallon up there.

It would be an understatement to say that this has been an eventful year for long-running talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! This past September, Kimmel’s show was suspended by ABC due to comments he made in relation to the death of political pundit Charlie Kirk. Days later, though, the series was reinstated. All of that drama aside, there were still questions in regard to how long Kimmel wanted to keep hosting the show. Well, he confirmed on air that Live! was renewed and, in true Kimmel fashion, he made some A+ jokes as well.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! Is Renewed, And The Host Shares His Funny Take

News of Live!’s renewal started making the rounds earlier this week, though Kimmel himself didn’t respond to the news right away. He saved those remarks for the monologue he delivered during the December 8th broadcast of his eponymous talk show (which is on YouTube). Kimmel decidedly kept the big news for the very last part of his address. When speaking on the subject, he expressed gratitude and also found a way to humorously mention those who utilize the series during “toilet time”:

Of course, I’m not sure if anyone felt personally attacked by that “toilet time” comment. However, there are surely those who may not tune in for Live!’s actual broadcasts but just catch highlights on YouTube later on during their time on their porcelain thrones. It doesn’t seem to matter how viewers check out the show amid the 2025 TV schedule, though. And that’s because the Man Show alum seems thankful that anyone would choose to watch him in any form as long as he's on the air.

This Renewal Comes After Jimmy Kimmel’s Retirement And Late-Night TV Comments

Kimmel has been talking about potentially stepping away from his show for years at this point. That retirement talk really heated up in early 2024, though, when he opened up about how he feels the urge to leave his post when the work becomes all-consuming. But, simultaneously, he also asserted that whenever he’s away from the job for a while, he feels the itch to return to it. Later that year, Kimmel spoke more about possibly retiring and got real about the uncertainty of what he would do next after leaving late-night TV.

Additionally, Jimmy Kimmel has also been vocal about the state of the late-night landscape, which has been evolving over the last several years. Kimmel addressed the elephant in the room, saying that he wasn’t sure if there would even be any late-night TV shows on networks “in 10 years.” Concerns about the future of the format have seemingly been growing, especially in the aftermath of The Late Show’s cancellation at CBS.

So, given the state of the business, Kimmel does indeed have reason to be thankful that he’ll be on the air for at least one more TV season. With that, fans will continue to have the option to watch him live or check out his show later while they’re sitting on the toilet.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC, and it can also be streamed with a YouTube TV subscription.

These last few months of the 2025 TV schedule could potentially mark the final time TV audiences will experience a full year of Big 3 late night talk shows, considering The Late Show’s cancellation will leave a Stephen Colbert-sized void on CBS. All of the hubbub surrounding the show and its parent companies has attracted even more attention to an already complicated situation, but a lot of those eyeballs are helping Colbert keep a dominating foothold over his competition. At least for the most part.

According to previously unveiled stats from Late Nighter, The Late Show holds the crown for the most watched late night option for Q3 2025, and it would be hard to argue against the idea that the July cancellation news inspired an uptick in viewership. (And possibly even helped fuel the show’s first Emmy win for Outstanding Talk Show.) Here’s how the July-September totals shook out in comparison with the prior three months, across both the 11:30 p.m. hour and the 12:30 a.m. block.

• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - 2.84 million avg. viewers (+17%); 260k 18-49 year-olds demographic (+19%)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! - 1.85 million avg viewers; 243k 18-49 demo
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - 1.23 million avg. viewers; 170k 18-49 demo
• Late Night with Seth Meyers - 923k avg. viewers; 109k 19-49 demo
• Nightline - 745k avg. viewers; 96k 18-49 demo

Sure, total viewership numbers don't paint the entire picture indicating a show's overall popularity, but the face value of The Late Show's dominance here is pretty telling. Not only did that three-month stretch give Colbert a million-viewer advantage over his second-place competition, but he averaged twice the number of total viewers as Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

The CBS staple's demo numbers were not quite as lofty, which plays into expectations. CBS audiences tend to skew older, and Colbert's guests and political topics are also more likely to be viewed by older generations than those more privy to watching interview clips on TikTok. He still brought more 18-49 viewers overall, but its percentage of the total audience was far lower than that of Kimmel and Fallon's viewer bases.

Worth noting here is that Jimmy Kimmel's high-end demographic totals were likely fueled by the response to his ABC suspension over comments made in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting. That took place in mid-September, and his return episode a week later earned record-setting numbers for Kimmel.

The Latest Late Night Numbers

The Jimmy Kimmel suspension brouhaha dissipated in the following days and weeks, and it's been pretty quiet all around, at least comparatively, in the world of late night. (Not counting Donald Trump's recent calls for Seth Meyers to get fired.) For the week of November 9, the ABC host scored a win despite going through a personal rough patch involving the death of longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III, which caused him to cancel several episodes.

Here's how those numbers shook out, with Colbert facing dips from the prior week.

• The Late Show - 2.15 million avg viewers; 172k demo
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! - 1.8 million avg. viewers; 223k demo
• The Tonight Show - 1.21 million avg. viewers; 141k. demo

For now, Jimmy Kimmel is leading the charge with the key advertising demo, while Stephen Colbert is drawing the biggest crowds through and through. And meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon is...also on TV each night.

For what it's worth, Fox News' Gutfeld! beat out all of the broadcast lads in terms of total average audience, with 2.78 million. Though its' 189k demo rating didn't quite stack up to Kimmel's.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! team sadly lost a key member this past week. Kimmel confirmed that his longtime bandleader and childhood friend, Cleto Escobedo III, passed away at the age of 59. The host ultimately memorialized his friend during the show’s November 11th broadcast with an incredibly sweet monologue in which he chronicled his personal history with his good friend. Now, it would seem that’s not the only way Kimmel is looking to honor Escobedo, as he revealed some of his other efforts to do so.

Kimmel confirmed Escobedo’s death by way of an Instagram post, and he’s since shared an update, and he confirmed he and his team kickstarted two fundraisers in his late bandleader’s honor. One of them is for UCLA Medical Center, where Escobedo was a patient and, Another fundraiser that’s been started will benefit The Animal Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Kimmel and Escobedo’s hometown, Las Vegas. Kimmel signified these fundraisers by sharing another post on IG. Take a look:

It’s since been confirmed that the Cleto and the Cletones founder died due to cardiogenic shock, though disseminated intravascular coagulation, vasodilatory shock and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver were also listed as underlying causes, per TMZ. A few other conditions reportedly contributed to the musician’s death, including sepsis, graft versus host disease, immunosuppressed, chronic kidney disease and pneumonia.

Jimmy Kimmel and Cleto Escobedo III had been "inseparable" since they were 9 years old, as the former discussed on social media. Years after they met as neighbors in Las Vegas, Escobedo launched his band around the same time Kimmel was emerging as a comic. Once Kimmel landed his eponymous ABC show, he hoped to have Escobedo’s band – along with his father, Escobedo Sr. – to be the house band, and they eventually auditioned and landed the gig. Kimmel also said this about Escobedo’s family during his monologue (via YouTube):

News of Escobedo’s death on November 11 came only days after a taping of Live! was canceled at the last minute. At the time, it was reported that the show wasn’t being aired due to a “personal matter.” Whether that situation was tied to Escobedo specifically is unclear. That show cancellation marked yet another instance of the show being off the air this year as, months earlier, the show was suspended for several days by ABC due to comments Kimmel made about right-wing political pundit Charlie Kirk.

As of this writing, Live! has been off the air for several days, though, as Jimmy Kimmel revealed during the November 11th broadcast that the series would pause production for a little while due to Cleto Escobedo’s passing. Kimmel’s monologue made it more than evident that his friend’s death has hit him quite hard. Escobedo’s passing is indeed sad, but it’s heartwarming that his loved ones are honoring him with such charitable endeavors.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC amid the 2025 TV schedule.

Jimmy Kimmel and his late night stomping ground have popped up in the news a lot recently, in part due to ABC's temporary suspension. But that controversy is no doubt preferable to the tragic news that shook everyone up this week. Kimmel revealed the death of band leader and close friend Cleto Escobedo III, and paid tribute to the musician during his monologue on November 12's episode, while also announcing the rest of this week's episodes would be canceled.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! Will Be Off For The Rest Of The Week

The decision to call off new episodes through Friday follows a string of surprise absences from Jimmy Kimmel Live! The show aired a repeat on November 7 for what were reported as “personal reasons.” No further detail was given, though some outlets are now reporting that decision was related to Ecobedo's poor health. Kimmel mentioned during the episode that his friend had been admitted to the UCLA Medical Center prior to his death, although the cause of death has not been revealed.

Outside of episodic plans, Kimmel eulogized his friend and told the audience all about growing up across the street from him when he was nine years old. The two had been close friends ever since. Escobedo began a music career as a saxophonist while Kimmel started his career in broadcasting. When Kimmel was offered Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he reached out to his old friend to ask him to lead the band.

Jimmy Kimmel Explained Why They Didn't Axe Tuesday Night's Episode As Well

Kimmel said Escobedo was a big Eddie Murphy fan, which was part of the reason he wanted to go ahead with the episode, as Murphy was on hand to promote his documentary, Being Eddie, coming to Netflix. Check out the full monologue below.

The decision to postpone new episodes comes after a week of unplanned absences. And those occurred less than two months after Kimmel addressed the death of Charlie Kirk during his monologue. Kimmel was suspended for a week, and the show was preempted after major affiliate groups refused to air it. Kimmel returned to the show's highest ratings in years.

While fans will certainly be disappointed not to have new episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! For the rest of the week, they’ll also completely understand the reason. Fans who have been watching Kimmel for years have been watching Cleto Escobedo for just as long, and the show will certainly be different without him.

It’s not hard to imagine that those who work on both sides of the camera will need some time to come to terms with the loss of somebody who had been there for so long. Jimmy Kimmel Live is expected to return to the air on Monday.

Since its debut in 2003, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has established a style that still has audiences tuning in even now amid the 2025 TV schedule. The titular host aside, there are other members of that crew who’ve proven to be as invaluable to the show. Bandleader Cleto Escobedo III is one of those people, having provided music for the series since its debut. Sadly, it’s been confirmed that Escobedo has died at the age of 59, and Kimmel broke the news with an emotional tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator.

Kimmel took to Instagram to confirm Escobedo passed away earlier today, November 11, though he did not disclose his cause of death. The late-night host – who’d known his late bandleader since they were kids – shared a photo of his friend working on set. Via his message, the “heartbroken” Kimmel opened up about how he and Escobedo had been “inseparable” since childhood and shared what it was like working with him on the talk show:

Cleto Escobedo III – who was also Jimmy Kimmel’s neighbor in Las Vegas – formed Cleto and the Cletones in 1995 around the same time Kimmel was navigating the entertainment industry. Once Kimmel landed Live!, he offered Escobedo the position of bandleader on the show, and the rest is TV history. Considering the strong ties Kimmel and Escobedo had, it’s incredibly sweet to see the host pay tribute to his friend in such a lovely way. Other celebrities also flooded the comments section with sweet and supportive sentiments:

• So sorry to hear this Jimmy. He was AWESOME. Love to his family. - Eric Stonestreet
• ❤️❤️❤️ love to [you], Cleto and his whole family. - Johnny Knoxville
• Love you Love to his incredible family. - Jeff Ross
• So sorry man. Love you Cleto❤️ - Ike Barinholtz
• I’m so sorry Jimmy. - John Stamos

This news comes just days after a taping of Live! was abruptly canceled, at which points guests were already lined up. It was reported at the time that the move was due to a “personal matter,” and no further details were provided at the time. It can’t be said with certainty whether that was in connection to the bandleader.

Over the last several months, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has experienced a number of high and lows, with the show garnering significant attention in September when it was suspended by ABC. That decision came down from Disney’s top brass after Kimmel made comments linked to the death of political pundit Charlie Kirk. The show was eventually reinstated five days later, and Kimmel addressed the matter during the opening monologue of his first episode back on air.

While the show will continue, it admittedly will be surreal not seeing Cleto Escobedo III lead the in-house band. He’d been a true mainstay of the show not unlike Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, and the host’s late uncle, Frank Potenza. With various episodes of late-night TV under his belt and other musical endeavors, the late musician truly left his mark. We here at CinemaBlend extend our condolences to the Escobedo family as well as everyone at Jimmy Kimmel Live! during this difficult time.

While Oscar Isaac is currently wowing audiences with his performance in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, it’s his work on major franchise movies, specifically those run by Disney, that has largely created his fanbase. Between playing Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and playing Moon Knight for Marvel, Isaac has a lot of fans who hope he returns to play those roles again.

It turns out the actor isn’t against it himself, though he dropped something of a sensitive response to note his condition, which speaks entirely to the timing of the interview.

What Oscar Isaac said About Working For Disney Again

Oscar Isaac frequently offers blunt responses to things in his interviews, such as having previously said he would only return to Star Wars again if he needed to buy a house. In a new interview with GQ, he suggested that he wouldn’t necessarily be against working with Disney again, though his then-current feelings about the studio were conflicted. He said…

Dropping the word “fascism” into an answer about Star Wars and Marvel characters amounts to an f-bomb of a different sort, and it’s a pretty aggressive statement to toss at one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. Although when one looks into the situation, it at least becomes a bit more understandable why Isaac said this when he did.

How Disney’s Jimmy Kimmel Reaction Likely Influenced Isaac’s Response

While GQ only just published the interview with Isaac, it’s noted that the interview was conducted only two days after ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel and pre-empt his late-night show, when reactive hot takes were spreading throughout Hollywood. This decision was very likely what Oscar Isaac was referring to with his blunt comment. Tensions were likely high as the interview was being conducted when Kimmel's future was far from clear.

The issue goes back to comments that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr made following the monologue. It was Carr who originally suggested that ABC affiliates should refuse to carry Kimmel following comments the host made following the death of Charlie Kirk.

Following Carr’s statements, two major affiliate groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, announced they would cease carrying Jimmy Kimmel Live! While the affiliates claim they came to their own decision on whether or not to carry the show, many have suggested that benching Kimmel was the case of the government taking steps to silence a voice that had been critical of them, which is likely the fascism that Isaac was referring to.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was off the air for a week, and all of ABC’s affiliates are now carrying the show again. As such, it appears this particular issue is behind everybody. Perhaps it will smooth things over between Disney and Oscar Isaac as well.

Jimmy Kimmel was all over the headlines earlier this fall in the 2025 TV schedule for the unfortunate reason that his ABC late night talk show had been suspended indefinitely. Fortunately, it was only a matter of time before Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to late night, with his first episode back beating his own ratings record. More recently, however, an episode was unexpectedly cancelled, but there's good news to reassure anybody who might be nervous that the end is nigh (again).

When ABC Didn't Air Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The intended new episode was planned for Thursday, November 6, with TV Insider reporting that the planned guests included Malice's David Duchovny, Stranger Things' Joe Keery, and Madison Beer, the latter of whom was expected to perform as musical guest. No official reason has been given from Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, or a representative of the show at the time of writing.

That said, LateNighter claims that the November 6 episode was cancelled due to a personal matter, and an unverified email alleged to be from the Jimmy Kimmel Live! audience team (via the Jimmy Kimmel Reddit forum) issued "apologies for any inconvenience." It remains to be seen if an official explanation will be provided to confirm or debunk these claims.

Still, it's not all bad news, even if you were counting on seeing Duchovny, Keery, and Beer on late night on November 6 (not least because Keery was presumably scheduled to appear live on Kimmel shortly after Netflix's Stranger Things Season 5 world premiere event).

The Good News Despite The Cancellation

For one, both the unverified alleged email from Reddit and the LateNighter claim state that the episode has simply been postponed, and ABC ran a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night instead of replacing it with another program. As fans may remember, Sinclair planned on preempting the show during the suspension. Plus, Madison Beers went on the record about her planned appearance on the show, posting this as an Instagram Story:

While she didn't drop any details about the cancellation beyond attributing it to "unforeseen circumstances," her message is that her performance is being rescheduled "to a later date." The show evidently isn't intending on scrapping the entire episode. While only time will tell if David Duchovny and Joe Keery will be able to reschedule as well, the cancellation currently doesn't seem to have anything to do with larger problems with the show, and this shouldn't be taken as a sign to panic that Kimmel is in trouble with execs.

The episode listed on ABC's schedule for November 7 is another rerun, this time of the episode that aired on November 4 and featured a number of players from the 2025 World Series-winning Dodgers, as well as Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen. A rerun on a Friday night isn't unusual, however, and there's currently no indication that Jimmy Kimmel won't be back in his usual weeknight late night time slot on Monday, November 10. If you want to revisit other episodes of the current season of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, you can do so streaming with a Hulu subscription.