# 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.
- Title: Kimmel and ABC talk about what comes next · Variety | Shortify
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: late night, jimmy kimmel, abc, disney, television, entertainment, culture, Kimmel, talk, comes, next, Variety
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-talks-renew-late-night-show-abc-1236858990
- Author: Brian Steinberg
- Published: 2026-09-11T18:33:20+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: late night, jimmy kimmel, abc, disney, television, entertainment, culture
## 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.
## Key takeaway

Kimmel's future at ABC is being negotiated now, and in this political climate a standard renewal has become anything but standard.