Jimmy Kimmel Enjoys Major Win With ABC Despite Drama Over His Charlie Kirk Shooter Remarks

Jimmy Kimmel will remain at ABC for the foreseeable future after inking a major contract extension with the network.

ABC initially temporarily suspended the late-night host after he made a controversial comment about the killer of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Jimmy Kimmel has since been involved in a feud with President Donald Trump, who has consistently called for the comedian to be fired.

Jimmy Kimmel Extends Contract With Disney's ABC

Late-night host Kimmel has secured a new contract extension with Disney-owned ABC, confirming his tenure on the network through May 2027.

The 58-year-old television personality's contract was supposed to end in May 2026, and following his three-way standoff involving Donald Trump and the FCC, doubts were raised about how much more time he had on American screens.

According to Bloomberg, he has now signed a short-term contract extension that would take "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" through the end of the 2026-2027 season.

The comedian and Disney reportedly agreed to the extension months ago; however, they decided to delay making an announcement out of respect for Kimmel's fellow late-night host, Stephen Colbert, whose show got canceled by CBS.

The Comedian Got Into Trouble With His Comment On Charlie Kirk

These are the comments that led to Jimmy Kimmel being taken off the air.

"The MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it, in between the… pic.twitter.com/orTluWTRyD

— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) September 18, 2025

The agreement comes barely three months after the comedian was briefly pulled off the air following his controversial comments about President Donald Trump and his supporters' reaction to the assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

In his September 15 opening monologue, Kimmel said: "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

His comments angered many MAGA faithful and sparked public pressure from the Trump administration for him to be given the boot.

In a conversation with Colbert, Kimmel shared that at the height of the backlash, he thought his screen career was over.

"I thought that it was over. I was like, I'm never coming back on the air," Kimmel recalled, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Jimmy Kimmel's Wife Addressed His Suspension

Meanwhile, Kimmel's headwriter and wife, Molly McNearney, addressed his suspension during her appearance at THR's Women In Entertainment brunch last week.

"Fear is contagious. But the good news is, so is bravery," McNearney said. "I've watched Jimmy and my friends and my co-workers hold our leaders accountable without fear night after night. I've watched other late-night shows and journalists and lawyers and activists and politicians and civilians in the street stick their neck out there for all of us."

While introducing her, Kimmel used the opportunity to take a jab at Trump, saying his wife has done more to "Infringe upon" his freedom of speech.

"No one — not the FCC, not ABC standards and practices, not even President Trump himself — has taken more action to infringe upon and forcibly limit my speech than Molly McNearney," Kimmel quipped.

Donald Trump Called For The Comedian To Be Fired

Meanwhile, Trump seemingly won't rest until he has Kimmel taken off air, as he once took to his Truth Social Media page to call for him to be fired.

At the time, Kimmel claimed on his show that the billionaire politician "loses his mind" every time he's asked why he hasn't released the Jeffrey Epstein files.

"Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air? Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it?" Trump asked.

He added, "Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!"

Jimmy Kimmel Thanks Donald Trump For Making Him More Successful

Very recently, Kimmel thanked Trump for helping him achieve an impressive feat on the internet.

The comedian was named the third most trending individual on Google, and he didn't hesitate to credit Trump for helping him out with the honor.

"And I just want to say, I couldn't have done this — none of this would ever have happened without the support of loyal viewers like President Trump, who has done so much this year to raise awareness of our show," he said.

Despite the controversy over his Kirk shooter remarks and calls for him to be fired, Kimmel has not toned down his criticism of Trump and still consistently pokes fun at the president on his talk show.