“Jimmy Kimmel Live” returns Tuesday for season 24.

ABC denies report that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show will end after next season: ‘Inaccurate’

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” returns Tuesday for season 24.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

EW's editorial guidelines

September 8, 2026 6:55 p.m. ET

Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’. Credit:

Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty

- ABC blasted an “inaccurate” report that *Jimmy Kimmel Live* is ending in 2027.

- *Page Six* wrote that *Live* was wrapping after 24 seasons.

- Kimmel returns to the air on Tuesday night.

Apologies to Matt Damon, but Jimmy Kimmel isn’t out of time yet.

On Tuesday, *Page Six* reported that *Jimmy Kimmel Live* was set in end in 2027 after 24 seasons, citing a source as saying that Kimmel’s contract wasn’t being renewed. But ABC is pushing back against this “inaccurate” report.

“This information is inaccurate,” an ABC Entertainment spokesperson said in a statement to **. “Any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative.”

After a successful run as co-creator and star of Comedy Central’s *The Man Show*, Kimmel launched *Live* in 2003 as ABC’s first attempt at a late-night talk show in decades. Initially airing at 12:05 a.m., 30 minutes after the start of the well-established *Late Show* and *Tonight Show*, *Live* was bumped up to 11:35 p.m. in 2013.

Now going into his 24th year, *Kimmel* is ahead of legends David Letterman and Jay Leno in terms of longevity, as he’s second only to Johnny Carson for the longest-running late-night talk show, by host, on any network.

David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’.

Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty

But Kimmel’s run was almost cut short last year when he was temporarily pulled off the air by ABC after he made comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing.

“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it,” he said at the time.

Following Kimmel’s comment, FCC chairman Brendan Carr encouraged local broadcasters to yank the show from air and called for ABC’s parent company, Disney, to intervene. Instead, days later, ABC reinstated the show amid a nationwide conversation about the freedom of speech, while local TV station owners Nexstar and Sinclair continued to suspend the show for a brief period.

“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” Kimmel said in his return. “I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed sending love to his family and asking for compassion and I meant it. I still do.”

Jimmy Kimmel gets real about when and how ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ could end

Jimmy Kimmel’s wife says she wants him ‘to be able to not do’ talk show anymore

Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, who serves as *Live’s* executive producer, recently revealed their discussions about his possible retirement.

“It definitely appeals to me for the nervous system of the household,” McNearney said. “I want him to keep fighting. I feel this sense of desire to not quit, because I think what he’s doing is incredibly important right now. Yes, I know we’re doing it in a vacuum, but I think it’s giving people a feeling that their voice is heard.”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Kimmel previously shared that he thought he was going to walk away during the Joe Biden presidency, only to continue on. But last year, rather than offer him the show’s typical three-year renewal, ABC extended Kimmel’s contract by just one more year, to May 2027.

“Everything is so tumultuous. That seemed to make sense,” Kimmel said, adding, “It’s definitely not how it’s gone in the past.”

Kimmel returns to the air on Tuesday night after a summer break that allowed the likes of Jelly Roll and Rosie O’Donnell to make headline-worthy stints as guest hosts.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Talk”