Disney has reportedly extended Jimmy Kimmel‘s contract, keeping the late-night show on the air for another year. Following President Donald Trump‘s consistent calls to have Kimmel’s show removed from the air, the network has moved forward with the renewal.
Disney extends Jimmy Kimmel’s contract
According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Walt Disney Co. has extended Jimmy Kimmel’s contract for one more year after his current contract expires in May 2026. The late-night television host will reportedly stay on air till May 2027 under Disney’s ABC Network.
The contract renewal comes almost three months after Kimmel’s controversial comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination, which led Disney’s ABC affiliates to “indefinitely” pull his show from the air on September 17.
In an official statement to PEOPLE, Nexstar Media had said it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar, further added, “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”
Kimmel was off the air for six nights but returned to the show on September 24, amid waves of support from fellow late-night hosts and other celebrities. During the opening monologue of his first night back, Kimmel paid a sincere tribute to Kirk and his widow, Erika Kirk, and clarified, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder.”
Additionally, President Trump has continued his persistence in rallying for Kimmel to be pulled off the air. In a November 20 post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump launched an attack on Kimmel, calling him “a man with no talent” and a “bum.” Kimmel responded to the attack with jokes in his next Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue.
