Jimmy Kimmel Recounts Sudden Cancellation on Stephen Colbert’s Show
“I thought, that’s it. It’s over. I was like, I’m never coming back on the air.” – Jimmy Kimmel
The Bathroom Call That Changed Everything
On Tuesday’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel pulled back the curtain on a chaotic day last month when ABC abruptly pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. Speaking with Colbert, Kimmel revealed that the decision came in the middle of a normal workday — with an audience already seated, food prepared by a guest chef, and a musical act warmed up for taping.
Kimmel said he received the call from ABC executives while in his office surrounded by writers. The only private space available: the bathroom.
“They say, ‘Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you’re going to say tonight, and we decided that the best route is to take the show off the air.”
Kimmel recalled joking that he “started booing” in response, but ultimately lost the internal vote to keep the show on. Audience members were dismissed, chef Christian Petroni’s meatballs and polenta went to waste, and musician Howard Jones was left to record a single track for a future episode.
Why ABC Pulled the Plug
ABC suspended Kimmel’s show in mid-September following a monologue that referenced Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer triggering a storm of right-wing backlash. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, appearing on a conservative podcast days later, threatened to pull ABC affiliate broadcast licenses. Nexstar, which carries Kimmel in about two dozen markets, quickly announced it would not air the show. Sinclair Broadcasting soon followed.
Hours later, ABC executives delivered the call that left Kimmel fearing his career was over. “I thought, that’s it. It’s over, it’s over. I was like, I’m never coming back on the air,” he told Colbert.
But within a week, Kimmel returned with an emotional monologue and a surge in ratings.
Colbert Connects the Dots
Colbert who himself faced cancellation when CBS owner Paramount ended The Late Show earlier this year empathized with Kimmel’s plight. Paramount publicly claimed business reasons, but critics pointed to politics. The network was seeking federal approval of its merger with Skydance at the time, and both Colbert and Kimmel had been persistent critics of Donald Trump.
Colbert described how difficult it was to break the cancellation news to his own audience, fumbling his delivery and losing composure as fans urged him on. “They started going, ‘Come on Stephen, you can do it,’” he recalled.
Trump’s Role and Reaction
President Donald Trump openly celebrated both Colbert’s and Kimmel’s setbacks. He posted on social media that Kimmel and NBC’s Seth Meyers were “next” after Colbert’s cancellation, and he later mocked Kimmel’s temporary suspension. When ABC reinstated Kimmel, Trump lashed out at the network, accusing it of defying his administration’s allies.
The Late-Night Unity Front
This week’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! became something of a late-night solidarity rally. Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers joined Kimmel onstage, posing for a photo captioned “Hi Donald!” that was promptly posted to Instagram.
Kimmel introduced Colbert as “the Emmy-winning late-night talk show host who, thanks to the Trump administration, is now available for a limited time only.” The two traded barbs about being “no-talent, late-night losers” a label Trump has used to describe them both.
Kimmel closed with a jab that summed up the evening: “We thought it might be a fun way to drive the president nuts.”
Sources
- Hollywood Reporter — “ABC Suspends ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Over Charlie Kirk Comments” (The Hollywood Reporter)
- PBS NewsHour — “ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show” (PBS)
- USA Today — “’Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ suspended after Charlie Kirk remarks” (USA Today)
- Washington Post — “Kimmel’s suspension confirms what many suspected” (The Washington Post)
- WGA (Writers Guild of America) — statement on Paramount’s decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (wga.org)
- Variety — Shari Redstone says Colbert cancellation was “not tied to Skydance deal” (Variety)
- Politico — on Sinclair ending Kimmel blackout and ABC’s removal of the show (Politico)
- Reuters — on Kimmel’s ratings rebound after his return (Reuters)
- AP News — on Nexstar, Sinclair resuming broadcasts of Jimmy Kimmel Live! (AP News)
