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American late-night television has long been a platform for comedy and political satire, but in the current era of polarization, even humor can spark controversy. The latest example comes from Jimmy Kimmel, who recently revealed the surprising story behind his ABC show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, being abruptly taken off the air last month. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kimmel spoke candidly about the unexpected call that made him believe his career was over.
During the conversation, Kimmel shared that the news came just before taping an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in mid-September. It was around 3:00 p.m., an hour and a half before the usual taping time, when he received a phone call from ABC executives. At the time, he was writing in his office and stepped into the bathroom to take the call. He recalled, “It was about 3:00; we tape our show at 4:30. I’m in my office, typing away as I usually do. I get a phone call. It’s ABC. They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual—they didn’t even know I was doing a show before this. So I go into the bathroom, and I’m on the phone with the ABC executives. And they say, ‘Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you’re going to say tonight, so we’ve decided the best route is to take the show off the air.’”
The audience on Colbert’s show reacted with boos, prompting Kimmel to joke, “That’s exactly what I said, I started booing too.” He admitted that after losing what he called a “vote” with the network executives, he informed his producers and turned pale, thinking it was the end of the road for his show. The abrupt suspension left him stunned and uncertain about his future.
ABC’s decision came after a controversial monologue in which Kimmel referenced the suspected killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and the conservative backlash that followed. The controversy quickly escalated when FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke ABC affiliate licenses, and major station groups like Nexstar and Sinclair refused to air the episode. As a result, ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! for several days. The move forced producers to send home a live audience and cancel a cooking segment featuring chef Christian Petroni. Ironically, the musical guest that night, Howard Jones, was set to perform “Things Can Only Get Better”—a song that was later aired after Kimmel’s reinstatement.
During the same interview, Stephen Colbert shared that he had faced a similar experience when CBS informed him that The Late Show would end in 2026. Colbert said he learned about the decision while on vacation, but his manager—who also represents Kimmel—waited until his return to break the news. Colbert admitted he struggled to tell his audience, fumbling over his lines multiple times before delivering the announcement. When he finally said it, he recalled, “nobody in the audience laughed.”
Although Paramount, CBS’s parent company, insisted that Colbert’s show was ending for business reasons, many critics and fellow hosts have speculated that political motives were at play. Both Kimmel and Colbert have been outspoken critics of Donald Trump, and Kimmel noted that the former president celebrated both their cancellations online.
When Kimmel eventually returned to air, he did so with his signature humor and defiance, opening with the line that it was “the show the FCC doesn’t want you to see.” Later, he appeared alongside Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers in a joint broadcast, where the three posed for a photo captioned “Hi Donald!” Kimmel ended the episode by joking that he was honored to be among his “fellow no-talent, late-night losers,” a quip that perfectly captured his mix of sarcasm and resilience.