A top Disney executive refused to say whether ABC will renew Jimmy Kimmel’s contract, throwing in some ominous remarks about the late-night funnyman’s future.
“I’m not going to make that announcement here with you today,” Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden said Thursday at a Bloomberg conference when asked whether Kimmel would remain at the network.
The host signed a one-year extension in December of last year that keeps him behind the desk at “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” through the 2026-27 season. He reportedly makes about $16 million a year.
“The truth is, it’s a very challenging daypart,” Walden said, using the TV-industry term for a block of the broadcast schedule.
“That’s not to say that Jimmy is not doing a phenomenal job, and his ratings are up. But they’re up relative to a smaller audience that’s watching late night on broadcast television.”
Walden’s comments came less than a month after Page Six reported that Kimmel’s show was expected to end when his current deal expires in May 2027.
“His contract is not getting extended,” a source familiar with the situation told Page Six.
ABC pushed back at the time.
“[This] information is inaccurate — any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative,” an ABC Entertainment spokesperson said.
As she hedged her remarks, Walden on Thursday pointed to broader financial pressures facing the late-night business.
Kimmel has a sizable audience on YouTube and other social platforms, but Walden said those views generate only a fraction of the revenue that comes from traditional television advertising.
“That is not a lucrative opportunity for a very premium talk show,” she said.
“We’re trying to make sense of the business while also honoring a deep partnership,” Walden added.
“I love Jimmy, we have great friendship. He’s close to a number of the people at Disney. We’re trying to work through it and make sense of, what does Jimmy want, what’s the right thing to do, and what’s the right thing for our business.”
The uncertainty comes despite stronger ratings for Kimmel.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged 2 million viewers during the 2025-26 season, up from 1.55 million the previous season, according to Nielsen figures cited by ABC — a roughly 29% increase.
The show also averaged a 0.18 rating among adults 18 to 49, up from 0.14 a year earlier.
Disney said it was Kimmel’s largest total audience in eight seasons and his strongest performance in the key demographic in four seasons.
Page Six reported in September that cost-cutting could factor into the show’s future, though insiders cited said a decision to part ways with Kimmel would not be driven by his combative relationship with the Trump administration.
Kimmel has repeatedly found himself at the center of political controversy over the past year.
ABC temporarily pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air in September of last year over remarks the host made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which sparked an uproar and scrutiny from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr.
Major ABC affiliate owners Nexstar and Sinclair separately preempted the show, with Sinclair demanding that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a personal donation to them and Turning Point USA, which Kirk co-founded.
Disney put Kimmel back on the air less than a week later, and the affiliates resumed carrying the show days afterward.
Kimmel drew fresh criticism in April after joking that First Lady Melania Trump had “the glow of an expectant widow.”
President Trump and the first lady later called for ABC to fire him after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner put the joke in a darker context. ABC did not suspend him.
More recently, Kimmel said an interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was held back from ABC’s broadcast because of concerns about the FCC’s political equal-opportunities requirements.
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