Jimmy Kimmel is opening up about the moment he learned Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off-air indefinitely.
The late-night host revealed how everything went down while a guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Earlier in the day, he and Stephen Colbert filmed an episode together of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“It was about 3 o’clock, we tape our show at 4:30,” Kimmel began. “I’m in my office, typing away as I do. I get a phone call. It’s ABC. They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual.”
“They, as far as I knew, they didn’t even know I was doing a show previous to this,” he quipped before continuing to tell the story.
“I have, like, five people who work in my office with me, so the only private place to go is the bathroom,” Kimmel continued. “So I go into the bathroom, and I’m on the phone with the ABC executives, and they say, ‘Listen, we want to take the temperature down, we’re concerned about what you’re gonna say tonight, and we’ve decided that the best route is to take the show off the air.'”
The audience began booing, to which Kimmel replied, “That’s what I said.”
After explaining to the executives that he didn’t think pulling the show was a good idea, Kimmel claims the matter was put to a vote — which he lost. The host was then tasked with telling his producers the show was off for the night, despite the fact the guests were already on-set and the audience was in their seats.
“I thought that’s it. It’s over. It is over. I was like, ‘This is it, I’m never coming back on the air.’ That’s really what I thought,” Kimmel explained of his thought process.
Though they ultimately sent the audience home, the show did tape musical guest Howard Jones‘ performance of “Things Can Only Get Better” — which Kimmel found to be ironic given the circumstances.
RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Charlie Kirk’s Family, Advocates for Free Speech During Return Episode
Before going on-air Tuesday, Kimmel posted a photo on Instagram of him, Colbert, and Seth Meyers with the caption, “Hi Donald!”
The post was a jab at President Donald Trump, who celebrated the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and is advocating for the same to happen to Kimmel and Meyers.
Kimmel and Colbert also promoted the crossover event between their shows on Instagram with another reference to the president, writing, “Be sure to watch “NO TALENT” Jimmy Kimmel on Colbert and “VERY BORING” Stephen Colbert on #KimmelinBrooklyn simultaneously tonight!”
RELATED: ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Returns With Record-Breaking Ratings
Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned Tuesday, Sept. 23 after a nearly week-long suspension to record-breaking viewership.
In his opening monologue, Kimmel addressed the controversy surrounding his Charlie Kirk comments, offering clarification and speaking kindly about the political influencer’s widow, Erika Kirk. He also took time to advocate for the right to free speech, arguing that pulling him and other late-night hosts off-air would be a threat to democracy.
Along with high viewership, Kimmel’s monologue that night quickly became the most-watched of his on YouTube ever, racking up over 15 million views on the platform less than 24 hours after the show aired.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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