Jimmy Kimmel is excited to stay on the air for another year.
THE Jimmy Kimmel Live! The host addressed his one-year contract extension with ABC during the Monday, December 8, episode of his late-night show, to much enthusiasm from his in-studio audience.
Kimmel, 58, joked that the show would stay on the air until May 2027 — “or until the end of the world, whichever comes first.”
“I thought about it, I thought about it a lot and I decided that I would like to spend less time with my family,” the actor continued jokingly. “So for our audience here and at home, I’m humbled and humbled to be a part of your routine, whether it’s in bed at night or during your morning wash. It means a lot to me to have your attention.”
During his Monday monologue, Kimmel also addressed President Donald Trump calling him a “horrible” host and promising to do a better job hosting when he appears at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, December 7. (“If I can’t beat Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before Sunday’s event.)
On Monday, Kimmel said, “I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with anything other than that.”
“As far as this whole ‘who’s more talented’ thing goes, does it sound like he’s challenging me to a competition? If that’s the case, I’m open to that. Let’s do it. Let’s have a talent competition,” Kimmel responded to Trump’s criticism.
Kimmel’s reappointment comes after he was briefly suspended in September following comments he made to a right-wing political activist. Charlie KirkIt’s a deadly shooting.
“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything he can to get political points out of it,” Kimmel said.
Two months after CBS canceled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the world of late night television took another blow when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air. “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the network confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17. The decision came after host Jimmy Kimmel […]
“In between the accusations, there was grieving,” he said, mocking Trump, 79, for responding to a question about his condition after Kirk’s death by talking about the renovation of the White House ballroom.
“He’s in the fourth stage of grief: building,” Kimmel added. “That’s not how an adult mourns the murder of someone they considered a friend. That’s how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay?”
Kimmel’s comments angered many on the right, including the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Brendan Carrwho called for its suspension and urged ABC affiliates to pull the show. Two media groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, preempted the show on their local ABC-affiliated stations.
Kimmel returned to the air after a six-day suspension on September 23.
“It’s been overwhelming. I’ve heard from a lot of people over the last six days,” Kimmel said during his first episode. “I’ve heard from everyone in the last six days. Everyone I’ve ever known has contacted me 10 or 11 times. People from my past, the guy who fired me from my first radio job in Seattle – where we’re not broadcasting tonight, by the way – his name is Larry.”
He continued, “You supported our show enough to do something to make your voice heard so mine could be heard and I will never forget that. It takes courage to speak out against this administration and they have and they deserve credit for that and thanks, for telling their supporters that our government cannot control what we do and what we don’t say and on television.”
