Jimmy Kimmel Inks Contract Extension With ABC Amid Trump Push for His Ouster
(Photo By Sthanlee B. Mirador/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has reportedly signed a one-year extension on his contract with Disney’s ABC network, despite President Donald Trump’s attempts to have him fired.
Kimmel’s contract expires in May 2026, with the extension reportedly running until May 2027.
Bloomberg reported that Kimmel announced news of the contract extension to his staff on Monday.
Kimmel was suspended from his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in September after comments on the assassin of GOP activist Charlie Kirk.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said on his show.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened Disney, ABC, and Kimmel over the comedian’s “concerted effort to lie to the American people” by implying Charlie Kirk’s killer was a supporter of President Donald Trump.
During an appearance on Benny Johnson’s podcast, Carr said the FCC may need to pursue “remedies” against Kimmel, if ABC does not discipline him first. The Trump-appointed chair said he can “certainly see a path forward for suspension” for Kimmel, at minimum.
Conservative outrage led to the show being suspended for several days, and Trump continues to ask why Jimmy Kimmel Live! is still on the air.
“Every five weeks, President Trump ‘flips out and wants me fired,'” Kimmel said recently. He then thanked the president “for watching us on TV instead of on YouTube. We appreciate that. And I’ll tell you, it’s viewers like you who keep us on the air, ironically.”
Trump made a quip about being a better awards show host than Kimmel as the president handed out Kennedy Center medals last week.
“I’m sure they’ll give me great reviews, right?” Trump said. “You know, they’ll say, ‘He was horrible, he was terrible. It was a horrible situation —’ No, I think we’ll do fine. I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible. Some of these people — if I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓