A prime Disney government 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 convention when requested whether Kimmel would stay at the community.
The host signed a one-year extension in December of last 12 months that retains him behind the desk at “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” through the 2026-27 season. He reportedly makes about $16 million a 12 months.
Jimmy Kimmel tapes “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2025, his first show back after ABC briefly suspended the program over his remarks about the killing of Charlie Kirk. ABC/AFP via Getty Images
“The truth is, it’s a very challenging daypart,” Walden said, utilizing the TV-industry time period 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 feedback came less than a month after Page Six reported that Kimmel’s show was expected to finish when his present deal expires in May 2027.
“His contract is not getting extended,” a source acquainted with the state of affairs informed 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.
Jimmy Kimmel, Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden and Sandra Stern seem at a UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation occasion in Beverly Hills, Calif., on May 2, 2025. Getty Images for UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation
As she hedged her remarks, Walden on Thursday pointed to broader financial pressures dealing with the late-night business.
Kimmel has a sizable viewers on YouTube and other social platforms, but Walden said those views generate only a fraction of the income that comes from conventional tv promoting.
“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.
Walden said Thursday that Disney is still working through Kimmel’s future as his contract runs through the 2026-27 season. Getty Images for UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation
“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 scores for Kimmel.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged 2 million viewers during the 2025-26 season, up from 1.55 million the earlier season, according to Nielsen figures cited by ABC — a roughly 29% increase.
The show also averaged a 0.18 ranking among adults 18 to 49, up from 0.14 a 12 months earlier.
Disney said it was Kimmel’s largest complete viewers in eight seasons and his strongest efficiency in the key demographic in 4 seasons.
Page Six reported in September that cost-cutting could issue into the show’s future, though insiders cited said a resolution to half methods with Kimmel would not be pushed by his combative relationship with the Trump administration.
Kimmel has repeatedly discovered himself at the heart of political controversy over the previous 12 months.
Demonstrators protest ABC’s suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre in Hollywood on Sept. 18, 2025, after Kimmel drew criticism over remarks about the killing of Charlie Kirk. Getty Images
ABC briefly pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air in September of last 12 months 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 homeowners Nexstar and Sinclair individually preempted the show, with Sinclair demanding that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s household 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 associates resumed carrying the show days afterward.
Kimmel drew contemporary criticism in April after joking that First Lady Melania Trump had “the glow of an expectant widow.”
President Trump and the first girl later called for ABC to fire him after a taking pictures at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner put the joke in a darker context. ABC did not droop him.
More just lately, Kimmel said an interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was held back from ABC’s broadcast because of considerations about the FCC’s political equal-opportunities necessities.
