From Variety · Brian Steinberg · · 1m 10s
Kimmel and ABC talk about what comes next
A routine late-night contract talk turns tense as Kimmel and Disney weigh life after the 2026-2027 season.
In brief
A routine late-night contract talk turns tense as Kimmel and Disney weigh life after the 2026-2027 season. Kimmel's future at ABC is being negotiated now, and in this political climate a standard renewal has become anything but standard. Originally reported by Variety.
Kimmel is back at the table
Jimmy Kimmel and Disney's ABC have opened negotiations about keeping him in late-night once the new TV season starts.
Normally this is routine
Renewing a host is one of the most ordinary pieces of network business. This time it lands differently.
“a process that might ordinarily be the most normal of business practices”
The climate changes everything
Variety describes the talks as exceedingly fraught, a signal that far more than money is in play.
“in the current climate is exceedingly fraught”
What is actually on the table
The question is whether Kimmel keeps hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live" after the 2026-2027 season, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Nobody is talking
Disney would not make executives available, and a representative for Kimmel declined to comment.
The agent who holds late-night
James Dixon represents Kimmel along with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. He could not be reached, and his client list shows how much rides on these talks.
The headline
Kimmel's future at ABC is being negotiated now, and in this political climate a standard renewal has become anything but standard.
