Jimmy Kimmel gets candid on his talk show's future amid Trump feud
Jimmy Kimmel gets candid on his talk show's future amid Trump feud
Edward Segarra, USA TODAYMon, June 1, 2026 at 8:51 PM UTC
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Jimmy Kimmel doesn't need a crystal ball to see that his professional future is a bit murky.
The outspoken late-night host opened up about the recent cancellation of Stephen Colbert's "Late Show," as well as his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump, in an interview with Vulture published Monday, June 1.
Colbert's talk show, along with CBS' entire "Late Show" franchise, concluded on May 21 after it was revealed last July that the TV network canceled the series due to a "financial decision" made against a "challenging backdrop in late night."
The shocking ouster came amid increasing political scrutiny of Colbert, who'd voiced criticism of CBS' former parent company, Paramount Global, and its settlement deal with President Donald Trump in a case involving "60 Minutes."
Jimmy Kimmel poses before the unveiling ceremony of Adam Carolla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on May 27, 2026.
"I feel a little bit defeated by it," Kimmel told Vulture after the "Late Show" finale aired. Kimmel, 58, made an appearance during Colbert's much-anticipated send-off, reassembling Strike Force Five with fellow late-night hosts Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon to offer advice to Colbert, as well as investigate the green portal that served as a metaphor for the end of "The Late Show."
"In a lot of ways, I feel like I'm looking at my own future," Kimmel continued. Late-night television is "not just dying of natural causes [such as lower ratings]. We're being poisoned."
Kimmel's remarks come amid his latest feud with Trump, which stems from a joke the "Jimmy Kmmel Live!" host made days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25.
In a segment on his show that aired on April 23, Kimmel delivered an alternative White House Correspondents' Dinner monologue in anticipation of the actual event, which did not have a comedian as the headliner. During his monologue, Kimmel quipped, "Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."
Two days later, a gunman opened fire outside the dinner, where the president and the first lady were in attendance. A Secret Service agent was shot but protected by a bulletproof vest. After the shooting, a resurfaced clip of Kimmel's "expectant widow" joke drew backlash on social media, with the comedian's critics accusing him of promoting political violence.
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President Trump and first lady Melania Trump weighed in on the controversial joke and called for ABC to fire Kimmel for his "hateful and violent rhetoric." The criticism came seven months after Kimmel's talk show was suspended from the air after the comedian made comments about political activist Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Kimmel responded to the backlash in his "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" monologue on April 27. While the TV host agreed that "hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject," he encouraged Melania Trump to first "have a conversation with your husband about" the issue.
"One of the things we talked about when I first got suspended was that I can't do this show if I'm going to be micromanaged," Kimmel told Vulture. "Typically, my inclination is to fight back. In that way, Donald Trump and I are not so different."
Kimmel and ABC recently signed a one-year extension for his talk show, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY in December, meaning "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will stay on the network through May 2027.
Still, Kimmel acknowledges the uncertainty of his show's future amid his contentious relationship with the Trump administration.
"I had the truth on my side as a defense," Kimmel said of his previous controversies with Trump, before jokingly adding, "What if I actually do something wrong? I mean, that's inevitable."
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Kimmel said he has "no idea what I'm going to do" whenever his talk-show tenure comes to an end, but added, "Freedom is what I want more than anything. I want to be able to go fishing because the fishing's good."
"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."
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, James Powel, Taijuan Moorman and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Kimmel reflects on talk show future, latest Trump feud
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