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One week after Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned from an indefinite hiatus, Jimmy Kimmel joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Sept. 30 to share what led to his show being abruptly pulled off the air.
Kimmel revealed he got a call from ABC just 90 minutes before taping.
“They said, ‘We want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you’re going to say tonight, and we’ve decided to take the show off the air,’” Kimmel told Colbert.
Surprised and frustrated, Kimmel recalled losing the internal vote on whether to move forward. “I thought, that’s it. It’s over.”
Reflecting on the moment he received the news, Kimmel shared that it happened just 90 minutes before taping. “It was about 3 o’clock. We tape our show at 4:30,” he said. “I’m in my office, typing away like I usually do, and I get a phone call. It’s ABC. They say they want to talk. This is unusual.”
With limited privacy in his workspace, Kimmel took the call in the only quiet place available — the bathroom. "I’m on the phone with ABC executives, and they tell me, ‘We want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you might say tonight, and we've decided it’s best to take the show off the air.’”
The audience of The Late Show responded with audible boos, to which Kimmel jokingly replied, “That’s what I said! I started booing.” He recalled protesting the decision. “I said, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ and they said, ‘Well, we think it is.’ Then there was a vote… and I lost.”
After the call, Kimmel said he returned to his office visibly shaken. “I put my pants back on and walked out. I called in some of the executive producers—about nine people—and I told them, ‘They’re pulling the show.’ My wife later told me I looked white as a sheet, whiter than Jim Gaffigan.”
Colbert asked what was going through his mind in that moment. Kimmel didn’t hesitate: “I thought, that’s it. It’s over. I really believed I’d never be back on air.” Meanwhile, the studio audience for that night's episode was already seated and waiting.
That night’s show had a full audience and guests already on set, including chef Christian Petroni and musician Howard Jones, who had just taped Things Can Only Get Better — a moment Kimmel called ironic.
The suspension followed backlash from Kimmel’s September 15 monologue in which he criticised right-wing reactions to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “We hit some new lows over the weekend,” he said.
He contrasted political finger-pointing with grieving, mocking Trump’s press conference comments about building a White House ballroom as “the fourth stage of grief: construction.”
Kimmel also expressed sympathy for Kirk’s family online, denouncing gun violence and calling for unity.
The hiatus coincided with Nexstar’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, increasing its control over ABC affiliates. Nexstar and Sinclair both preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live! until public backlash—including a letter signed by 400 celebrities—prompted them to resume airing the show.
Meanwhile, CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026 due to financial concerns.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! now airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
