Jimmy Kimmel
Late-night host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003 — a Brooklyn-born comedian who became a First Amendment test case after a 2025 suspension, signed a contract through mid-2027, and kept feuding with the White House into 2026.
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- Country
- United States
- Born
- James Christian Kimmel, November 13, 1967, Brooklyn, New York
- Known for
- Host and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since January 2003 — the longest-serving current U.S. late-night host
- Earlier career
- Radio (KROQ's The Kevin & Bean Show, 1994); cohost of Win Ben Stein's Money (1997–2002, Daytime Emmy 1999); cohost of The Man Show with Adam Carolla (1999–2003)
- Awards-show hosting
- Hosted the Academy Awards in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024, and the Emmy Awards in 2012, 2016, and 2020
- Contract status
- One-year extension signed December 2025 keeps him on ABC through mid-2027; a September 2026 report that the 24th season would be his last was denied by ABC as "inaccurate"
- Controversies
- Suspended by ABC for a week in September 2025 over a monologue about the Charlie Kirk assassination; the FCC's license threats against ABC affiliates drew a Disney court filing accusing the commission of attempted censorship
Overview
In September 2025, ABC took Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air indefinitely. By December, the same network had signed him to a one-year extension keeping him on air through mid-2027. That whiplash is the core of Kimmel’s current profile: the Brooklyn-born comedian who has hosted ABC’s late-night show since January 2003 — the longest-serving current late-night host in the United States — became, in the words of the debate his case ignited, a national test of free speech and political pressure on the media (Britannica; AFP).
The suspension came days after Kimmel’s September 15, 2025 monologue about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in which he said the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” (Britannica). After FCC Chair Brendan Carr appeared to threaten the licenses of ABC affiliates broadcasting the show, Nexstar and Sinclair pulled the program from their stations and Disney suspended it nationwide (AFP). Following a public and Hollywood backlash, Kimmel returned September 23 after a week-long hiatus — to about 80% of ABC stations, with Sinclair and Nexstar still holding out — and delivered a monologue calling government attempts to censor him “anti-American” (Britannica; AFP).
The feud goes on
The fight did not end with the extension. In March 2026, Trump called on ABC to fire Kimmel after the comedian said first lady Melania Trump had the “glow” of an expectant widow during a parody State of the Union address (The Hill). The conflict also escalated institutionally: the FCC launched an early review of ABC’s broadcast licenses, and Disney’s lawyers accused the commission in a July 2026 court filing of attempting to censor the network (The Hill). That legal escalation is the core of the ABC News dispute Kimmel sits at the center of. In September 2026, when Page Six reported that the ongoing 24th season of Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be its last, ABC called the report “inaccurate,” adding that “any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative” (The Hill).
The 30-year career underneath
Kimmel’s career predates the feud by three decades. Raised in Las Vegas and inspired by David Letterman, he started in radio — joining KROQ’s The Kevin & Bean Show in 1994 as a producer, then as the on-air “Jimmy the Sports Guy” (Britannica). From 1997 to 2002 he cohosted the Comedy Central game show Win Ben Stein’s Money with Ben Stein, winning the 1999 Daytime Emmy for outstanding game-show host; in 1999 he also launched The Man Show with Adam Carolla, a four-year run whose profits funded their production company Jackhole Industries and its puppet prank-call hit Crank Yankers (2002–07) (Britannica). Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted in 2003 in ABC’s 12:05am slot, moved to an earlier slot in 2013, and built its audience on segments like “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets” and “This Week in Unnecessary Censorship” (Britannica). Along the way he became the awards-show emcee of a generation: the Oscars in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024, and the Emmys in 2012, 2016, and 2020 (Britannica).
The Daniels chapter
Long before the White House feud, Kimmel was already tangled in Trump’s orbit through Stormy Daniels. In 2018 he invited Daniels to his show while her nondisclosure agreement about her alleged affair with Trump was still in effect — and, nodding to her fear of violating it, brought out puppets to reenact her interactions with Trump (NPR). He later appeared in the 2024 Peacock documentary Stormy, saying of Daniels: “She told the truth and she paid a price for that” (NPR).
What this profile does not claim
This profile does not treat the September 2026 Page Six report — that the 24th season would be Kimmel’s last — as fact; ABC denied it as “inaccurate.” It does not assert whether the FCC’s early license review of ABC produced findings, nor the outcome of Disney’s July 2026 court filing. It does not repeat two claims found on the AI-assisted Britannica page that no other read source corroborated: a “failed assassination attempt” at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ dinner and an FCC investigation “citing DEI policies” — both are recorded in the research brief as unverified. It also does not characterize the Stormy Daniels allegations themselves; it describes only Kimmel’s documented role (the 2018 interview and the 2024 documentary appearance).
Timeline
- 1967
- Born James Christian Kimmel in Brooklyn, New York; raised in Las Vegas, where he idolized David Letterman.
- 1994
- Joins KROQ's The Kevin & Bean Show in Los Angeles as a producer, then as on-air personality "Jimmy the Sports Guy."
- 1997
- Begins cohosting Win Ben Stein's Money alongside Ben Stein; the pair win the Daytime Emmy for outstanding game-show host in 1999.
- 1999
- Launches The Man Show with Adam Carolla on Comedy Central; the two also form Jackhole Industries and produce Crank Yankers (2002–07).
- 2003
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuts on ABC; the show moves to an earlier slot in 2013, competing directly with The Tonight Show and The Late Show.
- 2018
- Invites Stormy Daniels to his show while her nondisclosure agreement is still in effect, using puppets to reenact her interactions with Donald Trump.
- 2025
- Suspended by ABC in September over his Charlie Kirk monologue; returns September 23, then signs a one-year extension through mid-2027 in December.
- 2026
- Disney lawyers accuse the FCC of attempted censorship in a July court filing; Trump calls on ABC to fire Kimmel in March over a parody State of the Union joke; ABC denies a Page Six report that season 24 would be his last.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- Two claims on the AI-assisted Britannica page could not be verified from any other read source and are not asserted here: a reported "failed assassination attempt" at the 2026 White House Correspondents' dinner after Kimmel's April 2026 monologue, and a claim that FCC Chair Carr ordered an ABC license investigation citing DEI policies.
- The Britannica page's September 10, 2026 news item (an interview with James Talarico pulled from TV under FCC pressure) was a single-line widget item and is not asserted here.
Sources
4 sources (2 tier 1, 2 tier 2), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
- Supports: The December 2025 one-year contract extension keeping Kimmel on ABC through mid-2027; prior contract expiring May 2026; the September 2025 suspension arc (Charlie Kirk killing, the "MAGA gang" remark, FCC Chair Brendan Carr's apparent license threat, Nexstar and Sinclair dropping the show, Disney's nationwide suspension, the week-long hiatus, the return monologue calling censorship attempts "anti-American"); Trump's continued attacks ("horrible" at the Kennedy Center). Open original source
- Supports: Kimmel inviting Stormy Daniels to his show in 2018 while her nondisclosure agreement was still in effect; his use of puppets to reenact her interactions with Trump; his appearance in the 2024 Peacock documentary Stormy; his quote "She told the truth and she paid a price for that." Open original source
- Jimmy Kimmel Tier 2Supports: Birth name, date, and place (November 13, 1967, Brooklyn); Las Vegas upbringing and Letterman idol; KROQ's The Kevin & Bean Show (1994, "Jimmy the Sports Guy"); Win Ben Stein's Money (1997–2002) and the 1999 Daytime Emmy; The Man Show with Adam Carolla from 1999 (four years); Jackhole Industries and Crank Yankers (2002–07); Jimmy Kimmel Live! debut in 2003 in the 12:05am slot, moved to an earlier slot in 2013; signature segments (Celebrities Read Mean Tweets, This Week in Unnecessary Censorship; Cousin Sal, Aunt Chippy); Oscars hosting years (2017, 2018, 2023, 2024) and Emmys (2012, 2016, 2020); celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host from 2020; the September 15, 2025 monologue, September 17 indefinite suspension, and September 23 return on about 80% of ABC stations; his quote "It was never my intention to make light of a murder." Open original source
- Supports: The September 2026 Page Six report that the 24th season would be Kimmel's last and ABC's denial ("This information is inaccurate — any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative"); Colbert's Late Show ending in May 2026 after Trump dust-ups; Trump's March 2026 call for ABC to fire Kimmel over the Melania "glow of an expectant widow" parody-State-of-the-Union joke; the FCC's early review of ABC's broadcast licenses; Disney lawyers' July 2026 court filing accusing the FCC of attempting to censor the network. Open original source
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