The "JIMMY KIMMEL Live!" Show gets one-year contract extension after controversial suspension over CHARLIE KIRK comments

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 - Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night career isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The TV host has officially secured a one-year extension with ABC, keeping Jimmy Kimmel Live on air until May 2027.

This comes months after the 58-year-old was abruptly taken off air on September 17 following his remarks about American political commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Kimmel had said “the MAGA gang” was trying to portray the suspect in Kirk’s killing “as anything other than one of them,” a comment that sparked outrage and led Disney — ABC’s parent company — to temporarily suspend the show “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation.”

Kimmel returned to screens on September 23.

Kirk, a well-known right-wing figure, was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during a Turning Point USA debate event.

According to Bloomberg, Kimmel informed his staff on Monday about the new deal, though the comedian and ABC reportedly reached the agreement months earlier. The announcement was delayed out of respect for Stephen Colbert, whose Late Show is set to end in May 2026.

Kimmel and Colbert are known to be close friends and even share the same manager, James Dixon.

The fallout from Kimmel’s suspension made headlines nationwide. Variety reported that Nexstar Media — which controls dozens of ABC affiliate stations — had threatened to drop Jimmy Kimmel Live from its lineup, escalating the dispute into a major free-speech debate around political satire and late-night comedy.

After “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel, ABC ultimately reinstated the show.

Jimmy Kimmel Live has been a late-night staple since its debut in January 2003, running for nearly 25 years.

Meanwhile, Kimmel recently suffered a personal loss. His longtime best friend and bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, passed away last month at 59. His death certificate listed cardiogenic shock as the cause.