Kimmel suspended as ABC's late-night ratings slump following Trump coverage

NEW YORK — ABC has indefinitely sidelined Jimmy Kimmel Live! as the network grapples with a pronounced ratings decline tied to the host’s aggressive political coverage of Donald Trump. The decision comes after Kimmel, in a post-election opening sketch taped after Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump last November, told his sidekick Guillermo that he might be on the president’s “list of enemies” and should “leave the country,” before vowing to keep his “very important voice” on the air.

Ten months later, ABC executives pulled the show from the schedule as Kimmel’s late-night tirades about Trump continued to draw criticism and viewership slipped. The suspension followed a monologue in which Kimmel criticized Trump supporters and referenced a high-profile event involving a prominent conservative figure, prompting questions about how far the host would go in his on-air attacks.

The ratings picture laid out the challenge. Nielsen data showed Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged about 1.1 million total viewers in August 2025, roughly half of the 1.95 million viewers in January and far below his late-night peers. The program’s 18-to-49 demographic was among the weakest in the slot, with a household rating of about 0.35 in August and an average of 129,000 viewers in that key group. Network executives had been aware that the decline began soon after the election as the show resumed its Trump-focused material, but the slide accelerated as the controversy surrounding the host’s on-air remarks intensified.

The immediate trigger for the suspension involved Kimmel’s remarks about the killing of a controversial figure during a college event and the way the attacker had been characterized by some Trump critics. In a Hollywood venue, Kimmel denounced what he called the MAGA faction for attempting to cast the incident in a way that did not align with their political sympathies. The host also referenced the shooter’s alleged ties to a “leftist ideology” as described by Utah officials quoted in press coverage stemming from the case. The episode compounded ongoing concerns about the tone of the monologue and whether it crossed lines that ABC and Disney officials deemed inappropriate for a late-night program.

Kimmel’s contract with ABC, reported to be worth about $16 million per year, was slated to run through May 2026 under a three-year extension signed in September 2022. The show was pulled before its Sept. 17 broadcast, and Disney leadership — including CEO Bob Iger and TV head Dana Walden — has signaled a preference for de-escalation ahead of any return. Kimmel’s representatives have indicated the host did not intend to apologize for his remarks and instead planned to continue criticizing Trump critics as part of the show’s format, a stance that created a rift with network executives who are weighing the path back.

The decision to suspend Kimmel comes amid a broader pattern in which Disney has temporarily sidelined prominent figures whose public statements or on-air rhetoric triggered controversy or advertiser concerns. While ABC and Disney have refused to comment on a specific timetable for a potential return, observers note that the network’s goal is to reset the tone of its late-night slate and assess how best to balance sharp political commentary with an audience-facing program that remains commercially viable.

Kimmel’s fate remains uncertain. The network has not indicated whether the show will return with the host at the helm, nor whether a different format or a temporary replacement might be used to stabilize the timeslot. The situation underscores the broader pressure on late-night entertainment to navigate an increasingly polarized political landscape while maintaining audience engagement and advertiser confidence. As Disney and ABC evaluate their options, viewers will wait to see whether Kimmel’s “very important voice” will be allowed back on air, and if so, under what terms.