# Jimmy Kimmel Live!
**Jimmy Kimmel Live!** is an American hour-long late-night talk show hosted by [Jimmy Kimmel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-kimmel) that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003 and airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. (10:35 Central). It features celebrity guests, comedy bits, a house band, and a monologue that has grown increasingly political, and it is ABC's longest-running late-night talk show.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/jimmy-kimmel-live-television/) • [2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jimmy-kimmel)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | January 26, 2003, on ABC, with debut guests George Clooney, Snoop Dogg, and Coldplay[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/jimmy-kimmel-live-television/) • [3](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-to-celebrate-its-20th-anniversary-on-thursday-jan-26-with-a-special-primetime-episode/) |
| Format | Hour-long weeknight talk show at 11:35/10:35c; roughly a fifteen-minute monologue, a lead guest segment, a second guest, and a music performance[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/jimmy-kimmel-live-television/) • [4](https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/molly-mcnearney-danny-ricker-discuss-the-fast-turnaround-world-of-talk-show-television-jimmy-kimmel-live/) |
| Production base | Taped each weeknight on Hollywood Boulevard next to the El Capitan Theatre[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/jimmy-kimmel-live-television/) |
| Current run | Season 24 (2026-27), under a one-year contract extension signed in December 2025 that runs through May 2027[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-12-08/jimmy-kimmel-contract-extended-2027) |
| 2025 suspension | Pulled off the air by ABC in September 2025 after Kimmel's remarks about Charlie Kirk's death; returned about a week later[6](https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/jimmy-kimmel-live-return-abc) |
| Recent ratings | 2025-26 season averaged 2 million total viewers, its most-watched season in eight years, and a 0.18 Adults 18-49 rating that ranked No. 1 in late night[7](https://www.detpress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-finishes-2025-2026-season-with-largest-overall-audience-in-eight-years-and-strongest-adults-18-49-in-four-years/) |
| Awards | Emmy Award-winning show; winner of a 2025 Peabody Award[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jimmy-kimmel) • [8](https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/jimmy-kimmel-live/) |
## Format and production
The show is taped each weeknight on [Hollywood Boulevard](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-boulevard), next door to the [El Capitan Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-capitan-theatre), and was originally produced by Jackhole Industries in association with Touchstone Television; the current production company is Kimmelot.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/jimmy-kimmel-live-television/) • [9](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/jimmy-kimmel-live) Executive producers are Jimmy Kimmel, Erin Irwin, Molly McNearney, Jennifer Sharron, and David Craig, with Douglas DeLuca as co-executive producer.[10](https://abc.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/about-the-show/1000) McNearney, the show's co-head writer and Kimmel's wife, has described the format as traditional: a roughly fifteen-minute monologue, a lead guest segment, a second guest, and a music performance, with Kimmel doing a final punch-up before a bit goes into production.[4](https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/molly-mcnearney-danny-ricker-discuss-the-fast-turnaround-world-of-talk-show-television-jimmy-kimmel-live/)
Despite its title, the show is usually taped rather than broadcast live, though it has aired live for special events such as election night in 2018.[11](https://time.com/5447990/late-night-midterm-elections/) Its comedy bits, including the recurring Mean Tweets segment in which celebrities read insults about themselves, have become among the most-shared late-night formats online.[12](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/30875/1/2018KroenerPhD.pdf) In 2026 the show reduced musical performances to twice per week, a cutback that reflects a broader decline in late-night performance slots now that only NBC's Tonight Show consistently books live music.[13](https://apnews.com/article/55763d0c6170c9b645290582efb4219f)
## History
When the show debuted on January 26, 2003, Kimmel avoided opening monologues and refused to wear a suit or tie, and the studio audience was served alcohol until a viewer vomited during the premiere.[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/kimmel-making-move-to-1135-at-last-its-jimmy-vs-jay-vs-dave/2013/01/03/5278e860-4fe5-11e2-8b49-64675006147f_story.html) The show moved to the 11:35 p.m. slot in January 2013, putting Kimmel in direct competition with [Jay Leno](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-leno) and [David Letterman](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-letterman).[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/kimmel-making-move-to-1135-at-last-its-jimmy-vs-jay-vs-dave/2013/01/03/5278e860-4fe5-11e2-8b49-64675006147f_story.html) A 20th anniversary primetime special aired on January 26, 2023, reuniting the original debut guests Clooney, Snoop Dogg, and Chris Martin of Coldplay.[3](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-to-celebrate-its-20th-anniversary-on-thursday-jan-26-with-a-special-primetime-episode/)
A long-running comic feud with [Matt Damon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-damon), in which Kimmel jokingly ends each show by apologizing for running out of time for Damon, began in the show's third season and produced the 2008 viral music video "I'm F***ing Matt Damon," performed by Damon and [Sarah Silverman](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-silverman).[15](https://time.com/4473441/jimmy-kimmel-matt-damon-feud-history-timeline/)
## The 2025 suspension
In September 2025, ABC suspended production indefinitely after Kimmel's on-air comments about the death of conservative commentator [Charlie Kirk](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-kirk). Shortly before news of the suspension broke, ABC affiliate owners [Nexstar Media Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/nexstar-media-group) and [Sinclair Broadcast Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/sinclair-broadcast-group) announced that they would decline to broadcast the show.[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-12-08/jimmy-kimmel-contract-extended-2027) The Walt Disney Company announced the show's return on September 22, 2025, saying some comments had felt "ill-timed and thus insensitive"; more than 400 actors, musicians, and creatives had signed an ACLU letter pressing Disney to reverse the decision.[6](https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/jimmy-kimmel-live-return-abc) Kimmel returned after a nearly weeklong absence with a monologue defending free speech, and both Nexstar and Sinclair resumed airing the program shortly afterward.[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-12-08/jimmy-kimmel-contract-extended-2027) The Peabody Awards, which gave the show a 2025 Peabody, described the season as unprecedented in American television history and cited the episode as a defense of comedy and satire as forms of democratic speech.[8](https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/jimmy-kimmel-live/)
## Ratings and contract status
The show has historically competed with CBS's The Late Show with [Stephen Colbert](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-colbert) and NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for the Adults 18-49 demographic. In the 2023-24 season through February 25, 2024, it tied Fallon for No. 1 in the demo at a 0.17 rating.[16](https://www.detpress.com/storage/uploads/91/43/9143DAC0-4F7D-2C08-A7FB-E3670D8D4172/press-release-11-1333325.pdf)
After Colbert's final episode in May 2026, Kimmel's audience grew sharply. The June 1, 2026 episode drew 2.185 million total viewers, up 53% from the same night a year earlier, and 295,000 adults 18-49, up 178%.[17](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/cbs-gets-harsh-reality-check-in-first-night-without-colbert/) For the full 2025-26 season the show averaged 2 million total viewers, its most-watched season since 2017-18, and ranked No. 1 in late night among adults 18-49 with a 0.18 rating, its best demo performance in four years.[7](https://www.detpress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-finishes-2025-2026-season-with-largest-overall-audience-in-eight-years-and-strongest-adults-18-49-in-four-years/)
Kimmel's contract situation has been unusually short-term. His 2022 extension covered three years, but in December 2025 he signed only a one-year extension through May 2027, and in September 2026 he and Disney executives began talks about the show's future beyond the 2026-27 season, with Disney's Debra OConnell reportedly asking for budget cuts.[5](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-12-08/jimmy-kimmel-contract-extended-2027) • [18](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/jimmy-kimmel-contract-negotiations-abc/) A September 2026 [Page Six](https://www.edgepedia.org/page-six) report that the show would end in 2027 was denied by ABC, which called reports about the show's future "purely speculative."[19](https://www.tvline.com/2253456/jimmy-kimmel-live-ending-abc-2027-report/)
## References
1. [Jimmy Kimmel Live (television), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/jimmy-kimmel-live-television/)
2. [Jimmy Kimmel, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jimmy-kimmel)
3. ['Jimmy Kimmel Live!' To Celebrate Its 20th Anniversary, ABC Press](https://www.dgepress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-to-celebrate-its-20th-anniversary-on-thursday-jan-26-with-a-special-primetime-episode/)
4. [Molly McNearney & Danny Ricker Discuss The Fast Turnaround World Of Talk Show Television, Creative Screenwriting](https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/cswcms/molly-mcnearney-danny-ricker-discuss-the-fast-turnaround-world-of-talk-show-television-jimmy-kimmel-live/)
5. [Jimmy Kimmel extends ABC contract through 2027, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-12-08/jimmy-kimmel-contract-extended-2027)
6. [Disney bringing Jimmy Kimmel back Tuesday, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/jimmy-kimmel-live-return-abc)
7. ['Jimmy Kimmel Live' Finishes 2025-2026 Season With Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years, ABC Press](https://www.detpress.com/abc/pressrelease/jimmy-kimmel-live-finishes-2025-2026-season-with-largest-overall-audience-in-eight-years-and-strongest-adults-18-49-in-four-years/)
8. [Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Peabody Awards](https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/jimmy-kimmel-live/)
9. [Jimmy Kimmel Live!, TheTVDB.com](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/jimmy-kimmel-live)
10. [About Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC.com](https://abc.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live/about-the-show/1000)
11. [How Late Night Beat TV News at Its Own Game After the Election, Time](https://time.com/5447990/late-night-midterm-elections/)
12. [PhD thesis on late-night chat, University of Glasgow](https://theses.gla.ac.uk/30875/1/2018KroenerPhD.pdf)
13. [Space for music on late-night TV has dwindled, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/55763d0c6170c9b645290582efb4219f)
14. [Kimmel making move to 11:35, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/kimmel-making-move-to-1135-at-last-its-jimmy-vs-jay-vs-dave/2013/01/03/5278e860-4fe5-11e2-8b49-64675006147f_story.html)
15. [Everything You Need to Know About the Jimmy Kimmel-Matt Damon Feud, Time](https://time.com/4473441/jimmy-kimmel-matt-damon-feud-history-timeline/)
16. [ABC press release, season-to-date ratings 2023-24](https://www.detpress.com/storage/uploads/91/43/9143DAC0-4F7D-2C08-A7FB-E3670D8D4172/press-release-11-1333325.pdf)
17. [CBS Gets Harsh Reality Check in First Night Without Colbert, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/cbs-gets-harsh-reality-check-in-first-night-without-colbert/)
18. [Jimmy Kimmel and ABC Begin Talks to Renew Late Night Contract, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/business/jimmy-kimmel-contract-negotiations-abc/)
19. [Is Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ending Next Year? ABC Denies Report As 'Speculative', TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/2253456/jimmy-kimmel-live-ending-abc-2027-report/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Television talk, interview, and variety programs › Late-night talk shows*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license