Jimmy Kimmel weighs emotional exit from ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ as contract nears end

Veteran late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has revealed he has been thinking about how to conclude his long-running talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! — including the possibility of going out in a dramatic “blaze of glory” — though he admits he is hesitant to make any “selfish” decisions.

Speaking in a recent interview, Kimmel said he has considered different ways to end the show when his current contract with ABC expires in 2027, following a shorter-than-usual one-year renewal that has fueled speculation about the program’s future.

“It’s important to me to be responsible,” Kimmel said. “I know I could go out in a blaze of glory and get a lot of applause for it, but it would be a very selfish thing to do.”

The comedian, who has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, acknowledged that the late-night landscape has become increasingly uncertain, particularly as traditional television viewership continues to shift toward digital platforms.

Kimmel noted that the recent cancellation of The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert added to wider conversations about the future of late-night television. 

While CBS attributed that decision to financial factors, Kimmel suggested the genre may be facing deeper structural challenges.

“There are far more people watching late-night TV than there ever were, if you look at the number of views me and my colleagues get online every day,” he said. “We’re not just dying of natural causes. We’re being poisoned.”

Despite his concerns, Kimmel pushed back against the idea that late-night television is simply fading away, pointing instead to changing consumption habits and online viewership as evidence of continued demand.

Over the past several years, Kimmel has also found himself repeatedly at the center of political controversy, often clashing with figures in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

In one widely discussed segment from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host made remarks about First Lady Melania Trump during a comedic monologue, which drew backlash from the White House and conservative commentators. 

Kimmel later defended the joke as a “light roast,” insisting it was intended as humor rather than a political attack.

“I was not by any stretch making a call to assassination,” he said, adding that he has consistently spoken out against gun violence and did not intend harm with his commentary.

The exchange prompted sharp responses from Melania Trump, who criticized Kimmel’s remarks as “corrosive,” while President Trump also publicly called for ABC and Disney to take action against the host at the time.

Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended following separate controversy surrounding comments he made about the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, before later returning to the air after ABC reinstated the program.

Despite the turbulence, Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains one of the longest-running late-night shows in the United States. 

As his contract period nears its end, Kimmel says he is still weighing how — or even whether — to close this chapter of his career.