![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/98dabcbc3285bcd9ae90fc0799ee5629.jpeg\"\/)
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Jimmy Kimmel attends the 98th annual Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in March in Hollywood, California. Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following the end of \u201cThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert,\u201d<\/a> the future of late-night television looks even bleaker with one less host on the air.\u00a0And few have been more outspoken about the genre\u2019s tumultuous state lately than Jimmy Kimmel.<\/p>\n The long-running late-night host didn\u2019t mince words last month when he went after CBS<\/a> for \u201cpushing\u201d Colbert and his team out the door, as \u201cThe Late Show\u201d aired its final episode. In light of that, Kimmel reflected on what his own exit from late-night might look like in the future in a recent interview with Vulture<\/a>.<\/p>\n Politics: Trump Said Kimmel Would Be ‘Going’ Just Weeks Ago \u2014 And That Another Late Night Host Would Be Next<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI feel a little bit defeated by it,\u201d Kimmel told the outlet of Colbert\u2019s farewell show last month. \u201cIn a lot of ways, I feel like I\u2019m looking at my own future.\u201d<\/p>\n Oddly enough, that almost was Kimmel\u2019s reality after ABC suspended his show<\/a> in September following the host\u2019s comments on President Donald Trump\u2019s reaction to Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination. The network brought his show back<\/a> less than a week later, but that hasn\u2019t stopped further threats from Trump<\/a> or quelled talk that the late-night landscape is still collapsing.<\/p>\n But if the numbers are anything to go by, Kimmel believes that late-night is thriving.<\/p>\n \u201cThere 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 and add in our linear-television ratings,\u201d he told Vulture, adding that it\u2019s \u201csilly\u201d to say the genre has become less relevant today.<\/p>\n Buzz: These Are The 8 Shows Canceled By NBC In 2026 So Far<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not just dying of natural causes. We\u2019re being poisoned,\u201d Kimmel added, pointing out that CBS reportedly encouraged Colbert to sign a five-year contract<\/a> in 2023 (he ended up signing a three-year deal) \u2014 just two years before pulling the plug on \u201cThe Late Show,\u201d claiming it was a \u201cfinancial decision\u201d driven by the program losing significant amounts of money (reportedly $40 million a year<\/a>).<\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s own contract with ABC is apparently up in the air, as it expires in May 2027. It\u2019s unclear whether he will negotiate a new one or announce his retirement, but he said he has given plenty of thought to what the end of his tenure might look like.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to me to be responsible,\u201d Kimmel said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cProfessionally, I have no idea what I\u2019m going to do after this. Freedom is what I want more than anything. I want to be able to go fishing because the fishing\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n