Jimmy Kimmel’s future at ABC uncertain as budget dispute stalls contract talks
Disney’s push to cut Jimmy Kimmel Live! costs by 20% has stalled contract talks, Puck reports, but Kimmel reportedly wants to stay on air through the 2028 election
Disney’s push to cut Jimmy Kimmel Live! costs by 20% has stalled contract talks
Negotiations to keep Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the air have hit an impasse over Disney’s push for deep budget cuts.
The account, reported on by Puck’s Matthew Belloni, arrived days after Page Six cited sources claiming the current season of the ABC late-night program would be Kimmel‘s final one. ABC quickly rejected that characterization, calling the report “purely speculative” and “inaccurate.”
Belloni attributed the deadlock to Disney Chairman Debra O’Connell, who oversees ABC programming and has delivered what he described as a “stern message” demanding reductions to the show’s spending. The news follows the White House accusing Jimmy Kimmel of ‘play acting.’
“A strong source close to the situation told me 20 percent of the current budget was a fair estimate,” Belloni wrote.
Two sources told Belloni the program costs about $100 million annually to produce, roughly the same price tag carried by CBS’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which was canceled in May for what the network said were financial reasons. Belloni characterized O’Connell’s demand as “a big ask for a show like Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Kimmel’s contract runs through May. The host, now in his 24th season, signed a one-year extension last year instead of his customary three-year deal.
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Unsubscribe at any time. More info
Kimmel’s contract runs through May(Image: Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube)
Despite the stalemate, sources told Puck the 58-year-old comedian is not ready to walk away. Kimmel “feels a bit of a responsibility to carry the torch as late night’s thorn in the president’s side,” Belloni wrote, adding that the host hopes to remain on the air through the 2028 election.
“The last thing he wants is to give [Donald] Trump and his lapdog tormentor a reason to celebrate,” Belloni wrote, referring to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.
Kimmel has publicly accused Carr of “threaten[ing] me, threaten[ing] our show, threaten[ing] our network, ABC, our affiliates, our local stations, based on simple, traditional, editorial decisions, guest bookings it would seem they don’t like.”
The host also alleged the FCC pressured ABC on behalf of the Trump administration over his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, which the network released on YouTube Thursday rather than broadcasting it as planned.
Two sources told Belloni the program costs about $100 million annually to produce(Image: Disney via Getty Images)
The FCC, an independent agency, is examining ABC’s broadcast licensing along with possible violations of the equal time rule, a decades-old regulation designed to prevent stations from influencing elections through repeated candidate appearances.
Exemptions dating to the 1990s have allowed late-night programs and shows such as “The View” to book guests freely as “bona fide newscasts.”
Carr has denied the review was prompted by Kimmel’s jokes. The agency has not revoked a broadcast license since 1969.
Kimmel returned to air Tuesday following a three-month summer hiatus.
