The Late Night TV industry has been making a ton of headlines lately. CBS cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and surprisingly won the Emmy afterward. Jimmy Kimmel reportedly was ready to walk away too, and I've been worried about whether or not his show would end up sticking around. Luckily some alleged insiders recently shared some positive details that are helping to quell my fears.

On top of the ever-changing state of late night, earlier this month there were reports that Jimmy Kimmel has a reputation for being unmanageable. This made me even more nervous for the talk show host/comedian, but an insider who is reportedly close to the series was quoted by Naughty But Nice about the state of the program. That individual claims:

Do you hear that sound? It's fans of Jimmy Kimmel Live! collectively letting out a sigh of relief. We should take this rumor with a grain of salt for the time being, but if this alleged insider is to be believed, everyone involved wants to see Kimmel return for yet another season on the air. Fingers crossed it actually plays out.

These comment make a great deal of sense, especially considering how the show has been part of the overall landscape at ABC lately. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel has been involved in the Dancing with the Stars discourse thanks to Guillermo Rodriguez being part of the cast. The same insider made more claims about how long to expect the talk show to stay on the air, claiming:

This timing sounds purposeful, as it would keep Live! on the air through the end of President Trump's second term. Kimmel has gotten heat for his political commentary, and the show was briefly suspended after comments he made about Charlie Kirk's death. Some fans are worried that the network might want to cut ties, which is why these new comments are so encouraging.

Another alleged insider was quoted in the same story, offering yet another update about where things reportedly stand between Kimmel and the powers that be at ABC. In their words:

It certainly sounds like things are going well, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! is allegedly poised to stay on ABC for a few more years. Hopefully a deal is inked shortly, and we get an official announcement from the network. For now, these quotes are encouraging me.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs new episodes weekdays on ABC as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Fingers crossed we get news about the show's renewal sooner rather than later.

Late night shows have always had a unique place in the Hollywood landscape, and at any point there are a number of them competing for viewership. Even though Stephen Colbert's Late Show was cancelled, there are still a bunch on the air. That includes Late Night with Seth Meyers, which is airing on NBC (and streaming with a Peacock subscription). The SNL alum recently broke down why these shows take hiatuses so often, with his comments coming as Jimmy Kimmel begins a week-long break.

Kimmel has taken breaks earlier this year, and he's once again going off the air for a week. Some fans are curious why these shows stop airing new episodes every now and then, and luckily Seth Meyers spoke about this subject in an interview with The Wrap. Addressing his seven-week absence from Late Night, he offered:

It looks like Meyers' time on SNL, or at least NBC's take on Meyers' time on SNL, is influencing his schedule for Late Night. He prefers to take longer breaks, rather than going on more shorter ones throughout the year, sticking to a schedule more similar to the late night sketch series.

Meyers has spoken about the unique hours for late night talk shows, and his comments about hiatus allow for another peek behind the curtain. In the same interview, the 52-year-old host and comedian spoke more about his take on breaks in general. He offered:

It sounds like Seth understands the public perception of his job, especially when taking off for a whopping seven weeks-- a long hiatus to be sure. Perhaps his comments might help to offer some much-needed context for critics who aren't happy with him being off the air for so long. The same bit of understanding might be needed for Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, as well. Sometimes the networks are seemingly forcing some of these breaks.

New episodes of Late Night with Seth Meyers air weeknights on NBC as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Fingers crossed that he doesn't go back on hiatus anytime soon. From the sound of it, he won't be.

We’re well into the throes of the 2026 Fall TV season at this point, which means there are some tangible numbers in regards to what late night programs have been doing since Stephen Colbert said goodbye to audiences last spring. We know numbers had been up for the Jimmys – and particularly for Jimmy Kimmel – and that has remained true as fall TV returned. We also now know Colbert’s replacement is less popular than The Late Show. Unfortunately, it probably doesn’t matter. Let’s talk it out.

No Surprise, Jimmy Kimmel Is Crushing On Late Night

When Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel were both doing their thing in the late night sector, there was a lot of political conversation going on (and you can throw Seth Meyers into that mix, too). Once The Late Show was axed, Kimmel mainly took up the mantle for skewering President Donald Trump, and that has led to responses from the White House calling him “devoid of talent” and more.

This has actually led to an increase in ratings. According to September Nielsen reports, the late night series is averaging over 3 million total viewers an episode since its return to the schedule after Kimmel’s summer break. (Over the summer, Tiffany Haddish and others filled in. Things did not chill out.) He’s also up in the coveted 18-49 advertising demo 59%, which translates to about 336,000 viewers.

Fallon stayed relatively even, with about a 3% loss in viewers between August and September; however, he does significantly fewer viewers than Kimmel at this point, pulling in around 1.5 million total viewers an episode. His late night follow-up Seth Meyers was up a bunch last month after weeks of summer repeats, similar to Kimmel, though he also has a significantly smaller total viewership at a bit over a million an episode. Which brings me to CBS.

How Is Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen Doing In The Old Late Show Slot?

What’s going on at CBS is a completely different story than the traditional late night shows. We know the final episode of The Late Show drew 6.7 million total viewers. Of course, that was an outlier, but prior to its cancelation The Late Show was averaging about 2.7 million viewers in Live+ 7 Day ratings (as in the delayed viewing that occurs after the episode initially airs).

In September, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen averaged 787,0000 viewers. This was a modest 3% increase in viewers, but it pales in comparison to what The Late Show was doing in the spring. You’d think CBS might be upset about the change, but there’s a big reason I doubt that’s true.

That reason is none other than the overhead. CBS considers Allen’s show to be a big $55 million win no matter what the numbers are. We’ve run down how this operation works before, but the gist is that Comics Unleashed is basically leasing the timeslot from the Eye Network for a cool $15 million and is also producing its own show and filling its own ad slots, so the overhead is theirs to deal with.

Meanwhile, CBS sees this as a win-win, because not only are they getting paid to put the show on the air, they no longer have the overhead from The Late Show (and its myriad staff and massive budget) to contend with. David Letterman has referred to this as the network not wanting to “spend any money.” Meanwhile, CBS has said Colbert’s show was losing them money, and now they are gaining money even in the face of losing relevance. They seemingly see this as a win-win.

I’d assume for Allen, as long as the show is recouping whatever budget they are putting in, and making a little bit of profit, it’s enough for now. Even if the show isn’t as popular as the traditional late night format, I think the goal would be for Comics Unleashed to make a little money (and maybe one day quite a bit of money) in its timeslot despite a lower budget and lessoned expectations. With hundreds of thousands of viewers, hopefully the show is achieving that goal. But that’s a story for different day.

Last week marked the end of Guillermo Rodriguez’s Dancing with the Stars journey, as he and dance partner Witney Carson were eliminated at the conclusion of Week 5 of Season 35. During his tenure on the reality competition series amid the 2026 TV schedule, Guillermo became a fan-favorite and amassed a lot of support, despite not receiving high scores. On that note, his talk show partner, Jimmy Kimmel, paid tribute to him after his elimination and, as sweet as it was on air, it turns out there are some even lovelier BTS details.

Kimmel paid tribute to his longtime sidekick’s DWTS run during his opening monologue on the October 14th broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and it was quite sentimental. While the host began by questioning Guillermo about what he might do with his newfound reality TV fame, Kimmel segued into a sweet montage chronicling the ups and downs of his buddy’s stint on Dancing. Later, Carson came out before the audience, and she and Guillermo danced. Carson later discussed the tribute, and shared behind-the-scenes insights:

Carson – who’s currently pregnant with her third child – made these comments while speaking with ET (as seen on Instagram), and they’re so sweet. I thought the Kimmel tribute was sweet already, but it’s even more sentimental when someone’s aware that the producers were crying amid the proceedings. And, while viewers at home got some shots of the audience cheering, I love knowing that they all came together to give Carson and Guillermo a standing ovation. Check out the tribute during the monologue below:

The last leg of Guillermo and Carson’s DWTS stint was Super Bowl Night, which saw the pair perform a salsa routine to Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó”. Ultimately, the two earned their highest score of the competition – a 22 out of 40. That ranking, however, was still low compared to the scores of their competitors and, by the time the night was over, their names were called during the elimination portion of the night.

Overall, Guillermo’s time on Dancing was filled with both highs and lows, from the army of fans who supported him on social media to those who were mad about him avoiding elimination despite low scores. There was also the supposedly shady comment from fellow competitor Jackson Olson regarding one of Rodriguez’s routines, though Olson later publicly apologized for that.

There was certainly a lot of anticipation for Guillermo’s involvement in DWTS after he was initially announced as a competitor. Needless to say, his tenure on the long-running series didn’t disappoint, and Guillermo himself expressed gratitude for his time on the program following his elimination. I love that he’s thankful for having had the opportunity to compete and that both he and Witney Carson got their flowers on Jimmy Kimmel’s show in such a sweet way.

Check out new episodes of Dancing with the Stars, which air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and can simultaneously be streamed with a Disney+ subscription. Also, Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weekly at 11:35 p.m. ET on the Alphabet network as well.

It’s only been a few days since President Donald Trump called Jimmy Kimmel a “loser” while he was at a rally, and the late night host is already garnering headlines again. This time, it wasn’t Trump who spoke out about the host, but one of his staffers, though Kimmel did catch wind of it this time, as well. Here’s what happened, and how I figured out the White House is just recycling content.

This week White House Spokesperson Davis Ingle really seemed like he took Kimmel to task. The late night host actually provided the official response he’d sent out to media on the air, which referred to him as a “no-talent loser” and “devoid of actual talent.”

That’s repetitive enough, but when this statement came down the pipeline, I found it very interesting because it sounded like something I’d seen before. As it turns out, it was something exactly that I’d read before. Around the time Kimmel was suspended at ABC in 2025, it turns out that White House spokesperson Steven Cheung sent Page Six the exact same quote.

Kimmel later even referenced the “no-talent loser” bit in 2025, including an appearance he made on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert before its cancelation by CBS.

This is the same quote verbatim. I cannot stress this enough. The White House is fully just recycling its Jimmy Kimmel insults rather than coming up with new and creative ones. I’m sure there’s probably a playbook for these sorts of situations, and the spokespeople have to work within those lines. But they're just repeating themselves at this point.

At least Kimmel is still able to get creative with his own responses.

Jimmy Kimmel Responded To The Recycled White House Jab

Kimmel’s been some great content this week, what with his sidekick Guillermo finally being eliminated from Dancing with the Stars after bringing joy to the masses, as well as having Kim Kardashian on this week. His monologues have continued being heavily political in focus, and after the White House jab about being "devoid of talent" came down the pipeline, he had a wry assessment about the take (allegedly) from Davis Ingle.

Kimmel has been hitting the political bent hard pretty much every day since he has come back from summer break. (Tiffany Haddish also caused some political disruption in his absence.) He went on to joke about Trump and call a recent moment with the President “the real moment of beclownment.” Though I’m willing to bet he will continue in the coming months.

He's got nothing to lose really. His contract is up in May of 2027, and while allegedly he's more jazzed than he was before about sticking around, there's some cause for concern. First, advertising dollars are down for late night, and then network head honcho Dana Walden recently said some cagey stuff about the show's potential for renewal.

It’s been a long run of back and forth between President Donald Trump and a lot of different figures in late night. He made some bold pronunciations when Stephen Colbert finally signed off the air. He’s taken shots at Seth Meyers over at NBC. He thinks Jimmy Fallon is "whimpering." But he’s seemingly taken a special interest in Jimmy Kimmel, which continued this week when the President made an aside during a rally and called Jimmy Kimmel a "loser."

What Trump Said About Jimmy Kimmel Most Recently

Donald Trump has made comments about Live! in the past, even after the late night host brought him up during the Oscars in 2024. (To be fair, he wasn't the only one annoyed by Kimmel's jabs). It's not that surprising to hear he had a new public take. What is interesting is the context.

Apparently, he was unhappy with Kimmel calling his rallies sparsely attended and mentioning the empty seats. Trump was at a rally in Clarksville, TN when he said the following:

As part of this, Trump did a bit where he mimicked Kimmel's voice. The late night host caught wind of this, and included it in his monologue Monday night.

How Jimmy Kimmel Responded To The Latest Trump Insult

To note, when Kimmel made the rally comment, he said he didn’t even share with the audience how many empty seats there were. In fact, he was a little surprised this was the moment the President of the United States seems to be latching onto.

In the video (above), this time Kimmel did share a pic from a rally event, which featured chunks of rows with missing occupants. It wasn’t that bad, as there were still plenty of attendees, but it’s not as if Jimmy Kimmel Live! made an inaccurate statement either. Kimmel went on to point out:

Listen, none of this discourse is exactly “new.” Trump’s been calling late night “unfunny" since his first tenure, and there are tweets about it dating all the way back to at least 2017. Kimmel and Trump have had a particularly estranged back and forth ever since the late night host was suspended from the air and the FCC got involved. Seth Meyers and John Oliver even recently joked they like using Kimmel as a shield so Trump ignores their content.

Jimmy Kimmel’s been clear he feels late night is being “poisoned” in this new landscape where politics are intertwined, and there are some rumors Live! may not get renewed when his contract is up in May. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but I’d expect the back-and-forth between the President and the late night host to continue for the time being.

The ballroom is heating up on Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars on the 2026 TV schedule. As the season progresses, more couples are being eliminated, and many fans have expressed shared disappointment each week seeing their favorites going home. This has led to plenty of hate for other dancers, and Jimmy Kimmel can’t help but clap back at those saying the show is rigged.

Kimmel’s beloved sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez has been a fan-favorite on Dancing With the Stars. While he and partner Witney Carson have been stuck with the lowest scores each week and are always in the “bottom three,” they still manage to scrape on by. Fans have been mad about Guillermo sticking around since he’s always at the bottom and frankly isn’t that great. Kimmel has been showing his support, though, and once again backed his co-star in a clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s YouTube ahead of this week’s episode. He said:

I’m not so surprised that Kimmel’s been quick to come to Guillermo’s defense. The two have been working together for over 20 years, with Guillermo starting out as a parking lot security guard for Jimmy Kimmel Live! before ultimately appearing on the show and becoming a favorite. Each week, Kimmel shows his love and support to Guillermo, both on his show and on social media, and he makes sure to check in with him and Carson every Tuesday.

As for why so many people are hating on Guillermo, a lot of fans don’t want his time on DWTS to turn into another Andy Richter situation. The actor and comedian competed last season with Emma Slater, and plenty of fans gravitated toward him because of his age, personality, and lack of dancing skills. While he had no chance of winning, he actually lasted through the quarterfinals, placing 7^th. With a handful of incredible couples this season, people are worried the same thing will happen, and pairs that shouldn’t be going home will continue being eliminated.

Fans are already getting upset with the couples going home, but it’s an unfortunate part of the popular competition series. In Guillermo’s case, it’s unknown how much longer he’ll be staying in the ballroom. What is clear is that, while he certainly has some haters, there are plenty more people backing him up. Clearly Kimmel will be the first in line every time.

I, for one, am mixed on Guillermo. I love him, and I will always vote for him, but I’m still worried that the longer he’s in, more of my favorite couples will be eliminated. I’m still upset over Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart’s elimination. DWTS is highly unpredictable, so who knows what will happen. And we’ll just have to see what Super Bowl Night will bring on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and with a Disney+ subscription.

Do you ever wake up and feel this weird sense of dread creeping from your stomach up into your throat? That’s kind of how I’ve been feeling every day when new late night news comes down the pipeline. I’m not saying the death of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is imminent, but ABC head honcho Dana Walden’s comments the other day gave me no solace, and now insiders, as in multiple, are here with more disturbing things to say about the future of the TV genre.

Basically a slew of insiders anonymously spoke with Page Six. There were two things that were a common refrain. The first is that several said Kimmel is “unmanageable.” They pointed to him roasting Disney at this year’s upfronts and saying whatever he wants on the air, even when it has gotten him suspended and in trouble with the FCC.

On this same note, others also alleged that when Disney wants him to have an in house guest, he doesn’t always “play ball,” either, marking another example of them having little control over the longtime late night host, who has been a fixture at ABC since 2003. Kimmel himself has stated he doesn’t like to be “micromanaged” by the network, so this wouldn’t exactly be surprising.

Secondly, another insider alleged things have changed in the late night landscape rapidly every since Stephen Colbert said his goodbyes and the Eye Network unceremoniously dumped Byron Allen into the timeslot, pocketing a cool $15 million in cash while doing so. CBS quitting the game has left the door open for other networks to follow suit.

Now, some refuted the "unmanageable" bit and no one has said Jimmy Kimmel Live! is officially done, but the conversation has certainly been coming up a lot more lately.

Why Is This Conversation Coming Up So Much Now?

Listen, we know there's a lot of discussion about this right now because Jimmy Kimmel’s contract is up at the end of this TV season. Word on the street was the man was “fully prepared to retire” when this contract ended in May of 2027. That was before Stephen Colbert got canceled, Kimmel’s ratings went up, and he clearly has felt like if he goes the entirety of late night will go and not just him. In fact, he publicly said he feels late night is being “poisoned.”

At the end of the day, ABC hasn’t officially said anything yet about whether or not Jimmy Kimmel Live! or some other iteration of a late night show will exist this time next year. Yet, it’s worrying me a lot. Late night is still an institution and a way for new projects to get on the radars of so many regular folks at home who are not deeply plugged into the entertainment business.

In more recent years, it’s also become a pipeline for keeping tabs on all the crazy news that’s been going around, and it's being delivered to the masses in funny and informative ways. It’s also just a key component of pop culture, and seeing something potentially dying that always felt like it would be a given is uncomfortable, and it’s also really sad.

Sure, if Jimmy Kimmel Live! goes the way of the dinosaur, NBC may stick around to take those ad dollars and be the only network performer in the space. We’ll still have The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight. But none of those programs are offering the exact same thing Kimmel is, and you know it.

The late night world has been a wild place to be working over the last couple of years. The narrative from head honchos at ABC and other places is that budgets aren’t working. Then, the current President of the United States has made many comments weighing in on late night and how much he feels hosts have “no talent.” So, naturally, John Oliver, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel were in a room together this week to talk about it.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! cooly aired from Brooklyn this week, and during the last episode, he had on some fellow late night hosts: NBC’s Seth Meyers (whom Trump has also hated on) and HBO’s John Oliver, both of whom tend to crack political jokes on their shows. It was Oliver who brought up how often Jimmy Kimmel actually comes up on Last Night Tonight, particularly during the Q&A portion they do with the audience during tapings. He joked his show is a BIG FAN of bringing up how much Donald Trump seemingly dislikes late night. Apparently, Kimmel is their beard.

John Oliver didn’t stop his bit there, also joking he and Seth Meyers are fine with Kimmel having this cross to bear, noting, “We are fully behind you the way we are behind a bulletproof vest.” But why has Kimmel been the one to face FCC scrutiny? The other hosts weighed in.

Does President Trump Dislike Jimmy Kimmel The Most?

Seth Meyers agreed having Kimmel as a shield has been pretty darn supreme, at least since Stephen Colbert was cancelled. But why does Trump hate Kimmel so much? He has a theory...

It’s true that Kimmel famously has a high-end pizza setup at his home, and he and Jimmy Fallon once got into a "pizza feud." He’s also chummy with a lot of celebrity a-listers like Oprah Winfrey and Jon Hamm, and has had them over to test the oven. It's honestly pretty cool.

Oliver also joked he and Meyers don’t “have one pizza oven between them.” This bit gets silly and goes on for a while, but the general crux is pretty interesting given the context that Kimmel recently had a James Talerico interview pulled and has been having trouble on his late night show, specifically with the FCC for a while. The pizza oven bit may be over-the-top, but there are a lot of interesting perspectives to take from this interview.

If you missed it, you can check out the fun Brooklyn set and late night guests, below.

While this is all lighthearted fun and jokes, Jimmy Kimmel's been honest he feels as if late night is getting "poisoned" in recent months, and after his contract is up in May of 2027 the entire future of late night is up in the air. We'll have to wait and see what happens next, but the stakes are rather high.

Late night has been slowly bleeding to death of late. It actually probably all started when Conan O’Brien exited TBS, or if we want to stick with network TV, when James Corden left The Late Late Show. Instead of finding a replacement, CBS took the series off the air. Then CBS got out of the traditional late night game entirely. Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show was cancelled last year and officially went off the air in May. I thought we’d managed to stymie the bleed, but these comments from an ABC head honcho are worrying.

I mean really worrying. This week, Dana Walden was straight up asked why Jimmy Kimmel Live! hasn’t been renewed yet at a Bloomberg Screentime event. The Disney CCO admitted figuring out the gig was “challenging” and went on to mention CBS wasn’t lying when they said the landscape was tough. She praised Kimmel, but noted (via Deadline).

To give you some context, first, we know the money isn’t coming in for late night at the same rate it used to come in. An ugly financial report that came out when all the Colbert brouhaha was happening indicated late night revenue was down considerably, dropping from $439 million in 2018 to $220 million a couple of years ago. A more recent report indicated that by 2025 that number was only at $209 million. Like many industries right now, things are trending downwards, not upwards.

Compounding matters is the fact Jimmy Kimmel actually wanted out of the game at one point. The man’s been in charge of Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, which means the show is not that far off from it’s 25th anniversary. It’s been a long run, and the late night game takes a lot out of you. In fact, Kimmel’s contract is up in May of 2027, and originally it was expected that might be the end of the host’s run.

What’s Allegedly Changed For Kimmel (But Maybe Not ABC)

We know the ratings for both of the Jimmys, but especially for Kimmel, are up in the wake of The Late Show wrapping. In fact the latter has seen a 24% increase in viewership since the other oft-political late night host left the air. Kimmel’s had more of a political sense of purpose since the FCC and Trump started weighing in on late night, and several behind-the-scenes reports have indicated he has more leverage now than during previous times in the shows history. He seems fired up, not ready to wind down.

But the ad dollars are the ad dollars, and it’s unclear to me if Dana Walden’s comments are a warning or a level-set in terms of expectations if another contract is going to be signed. Still, her not really celebrating Kimmel’s giant increase in total viewership and exponential increase in the advertising demo, where he is reportedly up 112%, is really worrying to me. At best, that’s a very diplomatic response.

There’s a lot that’s up in the air right now. First, again Kimmel’s contract is up at the end of this current TV season. If he can’t work out a deal with ABC or decides to call it quits, that will make NBC the sole creators of late night television. As much as I love Jimmy Fallon’s less political stance and fun games, what Kimmel has been doing lately has been something different and has been add value in the TV landscape. He’s catering to a completely different audience than Fallon is.

Kimmel himself has stated he feels the late night landscape is "being poisoned," and I don't want him to be the next to bleed off. Plus, where the heck are the Avengers going to go to promote movies if ABC and Disney don’t have a talk show? I’m just saying.

Despite putting up the second-lowest Dancing with the Stars score we've ever seen, and I mean ever, Guillermo Rodriguez is still in the competition heading into next week. It's a Festivus miracle, though it's worth pointing out sometimes the fans keep lovable-but-hopeless dancers in for the sake of fun television. That said, it remains to be seen how much longer he'll be dancing on the 2026 TV schedule, so I guess it's a good thing Jimmy Kimmel got some zingers in on his sidekick. You know, just in case.

The late night host did a bit of cross-promotion on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and had to give credit where it's due. Guillermo may not be the most talented dancer on ABC's competition series, but he's certainly making headlines, as the host noted during a recent episode.

The fans love Guillermo, or at least, his willingness to try and improve. It feels like he's on a journey similar to that of Andy Richter the previous season, who ended up advancing quite far despite his bad dancing. Hey, the people like what they like!

Jimmy Kimmel then checked in with Guillermo and DWTS pro Witney Carson live from the ballroom, ahead of their live episode in Week 2. The exchange between the host and coach was great, even if it was a little insulting to the contestant standing right beside her:

• Kimmel: "How did our tiny dancer do in practice this week? "
• Witney: "You know, he tried really hard this week. I’m actually so, so proud of him. We only called the ambulance like twice. "
• Kimmel: "I notice your strategy seems to be to dance not with Guillermo but around Guillermo."
• Witney: "Quite a smart approach, don’t you think?"

It's not a bad strategy, though one has to think Witney's tactic of doing most of the dancing and keeping Guillermo as stationary as possible will backfire eventually. That said, if you try to make them dance too much, you run the risk of them gaining the reputation of being worse than Master P was way back when.

I have wondered if Witney Carson kind of hoped Guillermo would leave in the early weeks, as she's currently pregnant. The Dancing With The Stars pro said she's planning on competing as long as it is healthy to do, so that's 100% just speculation on my part. You can see her full exchange with Kimmel, below.

To be completely candid, I don't think anyone expects Guillermo to win Dancing With The Stars. There are far better competitors in the mix. That said, whether or not he does manage to do what many feel is unthinkable, he may still end up as one of the most memorable DWTS contestants of all time.

It's a win-win for Jimmy Kimmel either way, as his show gets continued exposure on the network either way! Not that he's having much trouble with that when it comes to ABC, as his ongoing feud with the White House has resulted in major late-night ratings. Granted, he also got some help from Stephen Colbert's cancellation, and I'm sure people are tuning in to see what he says about Guillermo.

We'll see what Guillermo cooks up for Week 3 of DWTS. Yacht rock is the big theme this week, so I'm eager to hear what song they choose and if we can see a big jump in his development.

Stephen Colbert’s late night series may be over, but the fondness people had for The Late Show lives on. That’s true of his fans, of course, but even other people in the industry really respected what the CBS host was doing before the network axed The Late Show. In fact, late night writer Jon Rineman recently revealed the thing Colbert’s team did that gave them an edge in the game, an edge that helped them land that #1 slot.

Rineman worked on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for years, and during that time, he found out exactly how Colbert’s team was staying ahead of everyone else in terms of timely jokes. The writer was working on Fallon's show after Twitter really took off and people started using the social media network for timely jokes. Late night shows started getting beat at their own game, until Stephen Colbert reportedly found a solution.

Now, it's worth noting the same audience using social media is not always simultaneously the same audience consuming late night. Still, I see why a writer on one of these shows would prefer to have fresh jokes.

Rineman said in a longer profile with Late Nighter he brought a similar idea to The Tonight Show, but the execution would have been such chaos, no one really seemed enthusiastic about making the attempt.

It’s also probably worth pointing out that The Tonight Show has never been as political as The Late Show was. The Tonight Show actually crushed Colbert early on via a steady stream of viral segments: “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” “Box of Lies,” and “Classroom Instruments” rank among those. When President Donald Trump came into office in 2016, tastes shifted, and the ratings shifted too. More people started tuning in to the CBS show over its competitors.

Ultimately, what morphed out of the political landscape changing was late night itself changing. The network shows are still hitting the 2026 TV schedule, but they are also trying to compete on platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, too. Fallon’s head writer Wayne Federman confirmed as much in his own comments about the landscape now.

He’s not the first person to say so, either. Kimmel talked about how “there are far more people watching late-night” than there’s ever been, but the monetary gains are being diluted thanks to many people consuming late night via social media platforms and not TV. CBS would say losing money is why The Late Show got axed, while Kimmel (and others online) have speculated the platform is being “poisoned” by political shenanigans and the FCC cracking down on free speech. What’s not in doubt is that it’s certainly a harder landscape and there’s less money to go around. But ABC is seemingly picking up where The Colbert Show left off; I'm just not sure if he's quite as on the money with those last minute monologue changes.

Stephen Colbert spent more than two decades behind a late-night desk, first on The Colbert Report and then The Late Show. So, when he returned to late night this week as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, I expected some nostalgia, a few jokes about suddenly having a lot more free time and maybe some reflection on the end of his CBS run. But I did not expect Captain America’s shield to become part of the handoff.

The CBS veteran made his first late-night appearance since The Late Show ended in May, sitting down with Jimmy Kimmel during the 2026 TV schedule, a night after his former show won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series. Near the end of the interview, Kimmel revealed that Colbert had quietly sent him a very special piece of his old set after CBS dismantled it. As the former Late Show Host explained:

The story got even better from there. According to the longtime television mainstay, then-Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada reached out after Captain America’s death with some important information concerning Steve Rogers’ last wishes. He continued:

The shield became one of those pieces of set dressing that longtime viewers probably stopped consciously noticing after a while, but it followed Colbert through two major chapters of his career. It hung on The Colbert Report and later moved with him to CBS when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premiered in 2015.

Once The Late Show was over, though, the longtime host already knew where he wanted it to go. He added:

That is where this whole chat got me. Colbert could easily have kept one of the most recognizable objects from his television career. He could have taken it home, hung it in an office or tucked it away with decades of memorabilia. Instead, he gave it to another late-night host.

When Kimmel brought the shield onto the stage and asked whether he could hang it permanently inside the Jimmy Kimmel Live! studio, The former political satirist didn’t hesitate. “It’s your shield, man,” Colbert told him.

Kimmel seemed genuinely touched by the gesture and immediately started figuring out where the shield should live. Rather than disappearing into a backstage display case, he carried it across the studio and mounted it near the producers’ area, where he said he would be able to see it while delivering his monologue every night. You can watch the entire exchange, which was posted to the official Jimmy Kimmel Live! Instagram account, below.

The two hosts spent years as competitors, but they have also become increasingly public friends. During the writers’ strike, the two teamed with Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver for the Strike Force Five podcast. Kimmel publicly supported Colbert after CBS announced that The Late Show would end, while Colbert later backed Kimmel for the Emmy despite their shows competing in the same category.

Kimmel also found the appropriately grim late-night punchline, joking about leaving the shield there “permanently,” or at least for however long permanence exists in late-night television these days. Given everything that's happened in the format lately, and the President's continued jabs at the host and his series, the joke lands particularly hard.

Still, the shield gives the moment some real weight. From Comedy Central to CBS, Colbert carried it from one era of his career to another, and rather than letting it become a museum piece when his own show ended, he made sure it stayed part of late-night television. That’s a pretty great way to pass the torch. Or, in this case, the vibranium.

Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. / 10:35 p.m. Central on ABC and then streams for anyone with a Hulu subscription.

The health of the late-night TV landscape has been heavily discussed for a while now, and that conversation took a major turn upon the cancellation of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Many eyes are now on ABC, as the network seeks to determine the future of the long-running Jimmy Kimmel Live! Last week, it was rumored that the show would end after the 2026-2027 TV season. There’s since been some clarity on that front as well as reported information on ad money and behind-the-scenes considerations.

What’s Going On With Jimmy Kimmel’s Future At ABC?

After the cancellations rumors swirled around Live! a week ago, ABC quickly refuted the reports and chalked them up to speculation. No clarity, however, was provided in regard to what was really happening with the show’s future. But Variety has since reported that Kimmel and his bosses at the Alphabet Network are now working on a new deal for him to host beyond this current season. As of this writing, neither side has commented on the matter and neither has Kimmel’s agent, James Dixon.

This apparent development comes weeks after reports that Kimmel was prepared to walk away from the show following the conclusion of his contract in May 2027. When it comes to a theoretical extension, there’s still the question of how long that would be. Kimmel’s latest contract, which was inked around the end of December 2025, only marked a one-year extension as opposed to a historically traditional three-year deal.

Variety reports that another extension could very well also just be for a year, in great part due to the financial uncertainties tied to the late-night business. Additionally, Kimmel, whose show began in 2003, has discussed retirement over the last few years and has expressed a willingness to step away. His summer breaks appear to present proof that he’s slowing down in some regards. While fans may like to see Kimmel sign on for multiple years, there’s definitely an incentive for the network to go with a one-year deal.

Ad Dollars Must Be Considered When It Comes To Live!’s Future

With late-night TV viewership dwindling, advertisement revenue associated with such programs isn’t what it used to be. The Late Show’s financial picture was what reportedly led to CBS axing it (though some have disputed that). For a better idea about how the monetary side of this has shifted, know that late-night TV costs totaled $519.7 million in 2017 and, by 2025, that number went down to $209 million.

As for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, its ad spending was reportedly valued at $51.1 million in 2024, which equated to 21% of late-night spending in general. That percentage was notably lower than that of the Jimmy Fallon-fronted The Tonight Show and The Late Show. It is worth mentioning, though, that Live has seen a ratings boost since Colbert’s show ended. Still, a one year-extension for Kimmel would ensure that both he and his bosses aren’t locked into a long-term deal that could be financially inconvenient for all of them.

There Could Be Some Behind-The-Scene Changes As Live! Continues

Even with a financially healthy contract for Jimmy Kimmel, ABC would have to make some other money-based situations to ensure his show isn’t losing them money. Variety opines that it’s possible that budget cuts could hit the series as the purse strings tighten. All the while, there’s also the possibility that Kimmel could be utilized by the network in other ways. That’s not a far-fetched idea, given he’s not only hosted the Academy Awards multiple times but has also hosted the latest iteration of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire since 2020.

So, overall, the topic of Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s future is quite nuanced, and we’ve only discussed the business aspects of this. We can’t even speak to ABC’s feelings on the political-related controversies it’s been embroiled in over the past year (the latest being Kimmel’s James Talarico interview). Still, it sounds like the network is still keen on remaining in business with Kimmel and I’m curious as to when both sides might announce a new deal.

Jimmy Kimmel made his late-night TV return this past week following a summer break, and he’s already been making headlines once more. The longtime host drew considerable attention this past week due to his interview with U.S. senatorial candidate James Talarico. While the conversation was initially set to be aired during a broadcast, Kimmel and co. posted it online due to the FCC’s equal time rule for partisan political candidates. Now, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is weighing in on what he calls a “hoax” of an interview.

The long-held equal time rule specifies that American TV and radio broadcasts must provide the same level of access for opposing political candidates. For years, talk shows have been exempt from this regulation though, under Carr’s provision, the FCC has been holding the shows accountable as well. During his Wednesday, September 9 broadcast, Kimmel said he would still interview Talarico the following day as scheduled but that it wouldn’t air on TV. The host also alleged that his show had been “threatened” by the FCC over the interview.

Over the weekend, Brendan Carr weighed in on the matter by way of a lengthy post shared to X. Within his message, Carr argued that the “statute does not prohibit anyone from interviewing anyone on broadcast tv” and said it’s “about more speech, not less.” He also said the rule was meant to “ensure that voters would decide elections, not media gatekeepers picking winners and losers by providing preferential airtime to some candidates and not others.” As for how that pertained to Talarico’s latest interview, Carr said:

Carr’s message was initially in reference to ESPN’s College GameDay welcoming Senator Ted Cruz during its Saturday broadcast. Per Carr, the equal time rule “doesn’t apply” to that appearance, because the statute encompasses networks and not a cable channel like ESPN. Coincidentally, Cruz also recently appeared on The View, which has also been dealing with FCC-related pressure as it and ABC argue that it’s exempt from the rule due to being a “bonafide news interview program.”

In terms of James Talarico – who’s a Democratic candidate from Texas – this isn’t the first time he’s been involved in a late-night TV dispute involving the FCC. Back in February, Talarico was interviewed by Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, though the host also didn’t broadcast that chat. Instead, Colbert and his team shared the interview on YouTube due to the equal time statute. Colbert didn’t mince words about that at the time, though CBS argued that he wasn’t forced to remove the interview and that he did not listen to suggestions on how to tailor the conversation to the equal time broadcast standards.

While his Late Show interview didn’t make it to air, Talarico still benefited from the situation, as he received about $2.5 million in donations afterwards. Talarico’s most recent talk show interview was posted to Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s YouTube account on September 10 and, as of this writing, it has amassed over 7.8 million views. As of right now, it remains to be seen if either Kimmel or Brendan Carr will seek to speak out about this matter any further.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC as part of the 2026 TV schedule.

Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late night talk show this week after heading out for his yearly summer vacation back in June, with various celebs such as Anthony Anderson and Rosie O’Donnell filling in as guest hosts. While celebrating the show hitting the 4,000-episode mark, Kimmel made a point of calling out FCC chairman Brendan Carr to say “We’re still here.” One day later, the host announced that his impending interview with Texas political candidate wouldn’t be airing on TV, but rather streaming on YouTube.

If that situation sounds familiar at all, it’s because a very similar situation went down on The Late Show back in February, when Stephen Colbert revealed his interview with James Talarico would be pushed off to YouTube instead of airing on CBS, due to the equal time rule for partisan candidates that the FCC has for years exempted late night talk shows from. (The View is also dealing with relatively similar polarity shifts due to FCC pressures.)

On Wednesday night’s Live! episode, Kimmel shared that his planned interview with Talarico would not be available to watch on ABC, and that viewers would need to make the jump to YouTube to check it out. Here’s how he explained it:

Jimmy Kimmel then went on to point out that he had the current President on not just once during his first campaign, but twice. As he put it:

Instead of backing down or canceling the interview, Kimmel took a hint from his former late night frenemy Stephen Colbert and shifted it online. I doubt the Congress hopeful is all that upset about it, either. The hullaballoo that surrounded his Late Show appearance sparked a windfall, with somewhere around $2.5 million donated in the two days following the interview. If anything similar goes down in the aftermath of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, it could potentially only help his chances.

At the time, CBS threw the blame back at Colbert, saying he wasn't being forced to pull the democratic candidate's interview off the air, and that he personally chose to put the interview online instead of adhering to any suggestions for how to adhere to the equal-time rule. It's unclear if Kimmel had the same options laid out, but it's unlikely he'd have opted for anything else anyway.

The aforementioned Ted Cruz appeared on The View this week, which might make it seem like the daytime chat show was giving in to the FCC. However, Cruz has long been a free speech proponent, and has shared his views that the FCC shouldn't be in charge of censoring TV in such a way.

Find out what Jimmy Kimmel and James Talarico will be talking about when their interview goes up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s YouTube channel on the evening of Thursday, September 10.

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.