Jimmy Kimmel has reacted to the cancellation of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying the decision left him feeling “defeated” and made him think about his own future in late-night television. The cancellation, announced in July 2025, was described by CBS executives as a financial decision, though critics and viewers have continued to debate whether other factors were involved, including Colbert’s public criticism of CBS parent company Paramount’s settlement in a lawsuit tied to U.S. President Trump and the company’s merger plans with Skydance.
Kimmel, who recently received a Peabody Award, has been one of the most outspoken voices defending the format. He has rejected claims that Colbert’s show was losing tens of millions of dollars a year, arguing that such figures are exaggerated or unsupported. He has also warned that late-night television is at risk of disappearing, not because audiences have abandoned it, but because the business is being undermined from within.
In his latest comments, Kimmel said there are still far more people watching late-night content than some industry reports suggest. He pointed to the combined reach of traditional television ratings and online views, saying the audience remains significant even as the industry faces pressure. In his view, the problem is not a natural decline but something more deliberate, as he described the medium as “being poisoned.”
Kimmel also questioned CBS’ reasoning for renewing Colbert’s contract in 2023 with a five-year deal if the show was supposedly losing large amounts of money. He argued that it is difficult to believe the financial picture changed so dramatically in just two years, suggesting the reported losses may not tell the full story. His skepticism reflects broader uncertainty in late-night television, where network executives continue to balance costs, ratings, and the changing habits of viewers who now consume clips and segments across digital platforms.
The end of The Late Show has intensified concern about the future of the genre. Kimmel’s remarks show that the cancellation is being felt not only as the loss of one program, but as a signal that the traditional late-night model may be under threat. He has previously spoken about not knowing how long he would remain on television, and although he extended his contract in December 2025 through May 2027, questions remain about what ABC will do next in a shifting market.
For now, Jimmy Kimmel Live! continues to air weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET, alongside other late-night programs such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. But with The Late Show now over, the debate over the health of late-night TV is likely to continue, and Kimmel’s comments suggest that even its biggest stars are uncertain about where the format is headed next.
