Late-night TV is a weird business. One day you’re the king of the mountain, and the next, your show is being yanked off the air by corporate higher-ups who are sweating under political pressure.
Honestly, if you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve probably been asking the same question as everyone else: will Jimmy Kimmel return for the long haul, or is he finally hanging up the microphone? It's been a wild ride. We’ve seen suspensions, FCC drama, and constant "will-he-won't-he" retirement rumors that feel more like a soap opera than a talk show.
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But we finally have some clarity. Sorta.
The Surprise Contract Extension That Changed Everything
For months, the industry was buzzing with rumors that May 2026 would be the end of the road. Jimmy’s previous multi-year deal was ticking down. The clock was loud. Then, just a few weeks ago in December 2025, ABC and Disney finally broke the silence.
Jimmy Kimmel isn't going anywhere—at least not yet. He signed a one-year contract extension that keeps Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the air through May 2027.
It’s a bit of a short-term band-aid, though. Usually, these guys sign for three or four years. A one-year deal feels like a "let's see if we can all still get along" agreement. Jimmy even joked about it on Instagram, saying he was looking forward to another "no-talent year." Classic Jimmy. But the reality is that the show has survived a "near-death experience" that almost saw it cancelled for good.
Why things got so messy in 2025
You can’t talk about his return without talking about why he left—even if it was only for six days. Back in September 2025, the show was abruptly suspended.
The trouble started when Jimmy made some pointed comments regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The backlash was immediate. Major affiliate groups like Sinclair and Nexstar—the people who actually own the local stations that air the show—threatened to pull the plug. They weren't kidding. For a week, the show just... disappeared.
It was a standoff. Disney eventually blinked, then un-blinked, then finally brought him back on September 24. Since then, the ratings have actually been higher than they were before the drama. People love a comeback story, even if it's a controversial one.
Will Jimmy Kimmel Return After 2027?
This is the million-dollar question. If you ask Jimmy, he’ll tell you he doesn’t know. He’s been saying "this is my last contract" for about ten years now.
He recently told Bloomberg that he’s learned to stop making public retirement declarations because it just upsets his staff. "I often answer that question, and then I do the opposite of what I said," he admitted. It’s basically his version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, except the wolf is a well-deserved vacation in Montana.
However, there are real signs that the show is changing to prepare for a leaner future.
- Musical Guest Cuts: Starting in early 2026, the show is reportedly cutting back on musical acts, moving from three per week down to just two.
- Political Exhaustion: He’s been the primary target of Truth Social posts for years. At the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, where he won Best Talk Show, he even "thanked" President Trump, saying the show would be empty-handed without him.
- The Colbert Factor: With Stephen Colbert's Late Show reportedly ending in May 2026, the late-night landscape is thinning out. Jimmy is one of the last "old guard" hosts left standing.
What Most People Get Wrong About Late-Night
A lot of people think these shows get cancelled because of "low ratings." That’s almost never the whole story. It’s about the cost of production versus the ad revenue.
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Late-night shows are expensive to produce. You have a full band—though Jimmy sadly lost his long-time bandleader and friend Cleto Escobedo recently—and a massive writing staff. When a network like ABC only gives a one-year extension, it means they are watching every penny. They want to see if the audience follows the show into 2027 before they commit to another decade of salary.
What to Watch for Next
If you're a fan (or a hater), the next few months will be telling. Watch for his monologue style. Since the suspension, he hasn't backed down, but there’s a new edge to it. He’s leaned into the "free speech" angle, which seems to be resonating with a specific segment of the audience that missed him while he was gone.
Key takeaway for viewers:
- Check your local listings: If you live in an area served by Sinclair or Nexstar, the tension between the affiliates and the network is still a thing to keep an eye on.
- Follow the contract cycle: If we don't hear about a new deal by December 2026, that's when you should actually start worrying about a permanent exit.
- Stream while you can: Disney is pushing more content to Hulu and Disney+, so the show's survival might eventually depend more on streaming numbers than what time it airs on your TV.
Basically, Jimmy is back, and he's staying through at least the spring of 2027. He’s currently the most-talked-about man in late-night, and as long as he’s winning awards and making headlines, ABC will likely keep finding a way to pay him.