2025 was a wild year in late-night television, but 2026 has started out pretty well for Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel Live! Took home the Critics' Choice Award for Best Talk Show last night, and as part of his acceptance speech, Kimmel made reference to his headline-making suspension, thanking those who stood by him through the ordeal.
Kimmel's speech called the last year of his show “tumultuous,” which is something of an understatement considering there was a period where he, and the rest of us, had no idea his show would even be on the air. Kimmel said…
I want to thank James ‘Babydoll' Dixon and Lewis ‘Littlethumbs’ Kay for all the towels and cigarettes that they chewed and smoked during a tumultuous year. We share this award with our colleagues in late night, our fellow nominees, who did not care to be here tonight.
Some of Kimmel’s “fellow nominees” had an even rougher year than he did. While Kimmel was suspended, The Late Show Starring Stephen Colbert was straight-up cancelled. The show, which began in 1993 under the host David Letterman, will end this May following a decision by CBS to cancel it, citing financial reasons.
While it’s been suggested that Colbert’s cancellation was more of a political move, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel had more overt causes. Kimmel was suspended for comments following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. While Kimmel has said he never made light of the death, he also argued that the issue was one of free speech, considering that the Chairman of the FCC suggested affiliates should stop carrying the show, shortly before exactly that happened. Kimmel thanked all those who stood by him, saying…
Thanks to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of you who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or in this country. Your actions are important, and we appreciate them.
Kimmel jokes that the situation regarding his suspension was the reason he won the Critics' Choice Award last night. It’s certainly possible there’s some truth in that. It's hard to argue that the whole situation didn't raise his profile, leading to some of the best ratings his show has seen in years. Perhaps more of the critics saw it at that point leading to the award.
Jimmy Kimmel isn’t quite done yet. While the host has flirted with retiring from the show before, he recently signed a one-year contract extension, so he’ll be sound for at least one more TV season after the current one ends. That means there’s at least one more chance for him to win this award next year.
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