Disney boss quiet on Jimmy Kimmel future past 2027
Disney's top television boss will not say whether Jimmy Kimmel will stay on air after his current contract runs out.
Dana Walden, Disney's president and chief creative officer, faced the question during a Bloomberg Screentime session. Late night is "a very challenging daypart", she said, using the industry term for a scheduled time slot. She declined to announce any decision on Kimmel beyond his present deal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
That deal runs through the 2026-27 television season. Kimmel signed a one-year extension in December 2025 to keep hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Walden was warm about her star. She said Kimmel is doing a phenomenal job. His ratings are up when measured against a smaller overall audience still watching late night on broadcast television.
The distinction matters. Broadcast means free-to-air channels watched live. Fewer viewers in that slot means less advertising income, even when clips travel widely afterwards.
Walden made that gap explicit. She said views on YouTube and social media bring in only a fraction of the money earned from traditional on-air advertising.
That pressure helps explain the talk around costs. ABC is reported to be seeking significant budget cuts to keep Jimmy Kimmel Live! going. Kimmel himself said last October that late-night shows carry budgets of around $120 million a year, according to Deadline.
ABC has already pushed back on one rumour. The network denied an early September report in Page Six that claimed Kimmel's contract would not be renewed.
For fans, this means no change for now. Kimmel stays in his slot through next season. What happens after that is undecided.
The history here is tangled. Walt Disney executives met with Kimmel in September 2025 to assess the talk show's future, Reuters reported at the time. Around the same period, Kimmel said he did not want to discuss his late-night future, according to Deadline.
Kimmel has publicly backed Walden. He said she should become Disney's next chief executive, Deadline reported in December 2025.
What makes this stand out is the job behind the headline. A late-night show employs writers, crews and bookers night after night. A renewal keeps that machine running. Silence leaves it waiting.
