Jimmy Kimmel has signed a one-year extension at ABC to continue hosting the channel’s flagship late-night talk show, according to a source familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n
The news comes just months after the Disney-owned network briefly took the show off the air<\/a> due to conservative fury over comments the host made during a monologue about the reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death.<\/p>\n Under the extension, \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d is scheduled to run through May 2027.<\/p>\n Bloomberg News<\/a> first reported Kimmel’s extension.<\/p>\n Kimmel drew criticism after speculating on the political motivations of the person who authorities say fatally shot Kirk. Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, described the monologue as \u201cthe sickest conduct possible.\u201d Nexstar Media Group<\/a> and Sinclair Broadcast Group, two major owners of ABC broadcast affiliates, then announced they would pre-empt Kimmel\u2019s show.<\/p>\n Disney\u2019s subsequent decision to suspend Kimmel sparked immediate public backlash<\/a>, with fans decrying what they described as an infringement on the comedian\u2019s constitutional right to free speech. Many also called for a boycott of the Disney-owned streaming services Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN.<\/p>\n Following mounting pressure, ABC brought Kimmel back on air<\/a> nearly one week later. His return drew 6.3 million total viewers<\/a>, making it the show\u2019s highest-rated regularly scheduled episode in over a decade. In less than 24 hours, Kimmel\u2019s opening monologue had also netted more than 26 million views across YouTube and other social media platforms, according to Disney.<\/p>\n The 58-year-old host had previously declined to share whether he would continue hosting the show after his contract’s expiration in May.<\/p>\n