# Late Night TV's Last Stand

> Late night TV's final season is near as networks slash budgets and shift to digital.
- Title: Late Night TV's Last Stand · The Hollywood Reporter | Shortify
- Summary: Late night TV's final season is near as networks slash budgets and shift to digital. Late night TV's decline is driven by falling ad revenue and a shift to…
- Keywords: jimmy kimmel, lorne michaels, the tonight show, late night, the daily show, conan o'brien, youtube, tiktok, fcc, abc, snl, emmy awards
- Source: The Hollywood Reporter — https://hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/end-of-late-night-tv-nears-kimmel-lorne-michaels-1236700515
- Author: Alex Weprin
- Published: 2026-09-17T16:14:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: jimmy kimmel, lorne michaels, the tonight show, late night, the daily show, conan o'brien, youtube, tiktok, fcc, abc, snl, emmy awards
## Lorne Michaels' Last Stand
Lorne Michaels insists he'll stay with SNL to protect its resources despite rumors of retirement.

> To protect SNL and all of its absurd wasteful use of resources, he needs to stick around.
## Kimmel's Contract Talks
ABC and Jimmy Kimmel are negotiating a one-year extension with significant budget cuts.

> Kimmel and ABC were in talks for another one-year contract extension but the network wants serious budget cuts.
## Late Night Budget Cuts
Late night shows have cut production days, house bands, and other elements to save costs.

> The Tonight Show and Late Night have had budget cuts, cutting days of production and the house band.
## Ratings Decline
Late night ratings have dropped significantly since Jay Leno's peak, with Kimmel averaging 2.7 million viewers.

> Kimmel averages north of 2.7 million viewers in Q2, up from previous years.
## YouTube's Rise
YouTube is becoming the new home for late night talent with personalized content formats.

> Late night TV gets reconstituted in your feed, a personalized set of preferences.
## Conan O'Brien's Shift
Conan O'Brien left TV after seeing YouTube's potential for late night content.

> That was the moment the scales fell from my eyes. If a guy can do World Series numbers with overhead about $600, that's when I understood late night shows are in trouble.
## Digital Shift
Late night TV is moving to digital platforms where creators can avoid network censorship.

> The next generation of late night TV is forming online, not on TV.
## FCC Pressure
The FCC's actions are accelerating budget cuts for late night shows.

> The fact that Kimmel's deal came amid an FCC-driven war against ABC only heightens the pressure.
## Chelsea Handler's View
Chelsea Handler calls late night TV an outdated, stale environment for modern audiences.

> Why would I watch? Five white guys, talk about the most stale environment.
## The Future
New digital platforms will host late night talent with fresh content and no network constraints.

> The next generation of late night TV is already forming online, just not on TV.
## Key takeaway

Late night TV's decline is driven by falling ad revenue and a shift to digital platforms.