Jimmy Kimmel is looking at Stephen Colbert’s late-night ending and seeing a possible warning sign for himself.
The ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ host opened up about the future of his ABC show after CBS ended ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’ Kimmel, who has hosted his own late-night program since 2003, said Colbert’s exit hit him hard because it felt uncomfortably familiar.
“I feel a little bit defeated by it,” Kimmel said in a new interview about CBS’ decision. Then he made the personal part clear. “In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m looking at my own future,” he added.
Kimmel Says Late-Night Is Not Dying Naturally
Kimmel pushed back against the idea that late-night TV is simply fading because audiences no longer care.
The host called that criticism “silly” and argued that late-night still reaches a large audience when online views are counted along with traditional TV ratings.
“There are far more people watching late-night TV than there ever were, if you look at the number of views me and my colleagues get online every day and add in our linear-television ratings,” Kimmel said.
Then came the line that stood out. “We’re not just dying of natural causes,” he continued. “We’re being poisoned.”
That comment arrives after a rough stretch for late-night television. Kimmel himself was taken off the air for six days in September after a comment about Charlie Kirk’s death. Colbert’s cancellation added another jolt to an already tense industry conversation.
His ABC Contract Ends In 2027
Kimmel said he still does not know whether he will renew his ABC contract when it ends in May 2027. Retirement is clearly on the table.
“It’s important to me to be responsible,” he said of how he might end the show. “I know I could go out in a blaze of glory and get a lot of applause for it, but it would be a very selfish thing to do.”
Kimmel also admitted he does not know what comes after late-night in a professional sense. “Freedom is what I want more than anything,” he said. “I want to be able to go fishing because the fishing’s good.”
His longtime producer, Erin Irwin, said Kimmel has been discussing an exit for some time. “He’s tired,” Irwin said. She added that she hopes the show can continue through the 2028 presidential election, though she is not sure Kimmel can keep going that long.
Colbert’s Ending Hit Late-Night Hard
Colbert announced in July 2025 that CBS was ending ‘The Late Show’ franchise, which David Letterman hosted from 1993 until 2015 before Colbert took over.
The move came shortly after Colbert criticized Paramount over its $16 million settlement with President Trump, who had sued the company over claims tied to a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris.
CBS said the cancellation was a “purely financial decision” and insisted it was not related to the show’s content, performance, or other matters involving Paramount.
Colbert’s final episode aired May 21, with Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and Jon Stewart all appearing to send him off.
Now Kimmel is openly wondering how much longer he has left. For late-night fans, that question may be more serious than they want to admit.
