UPDATE - ABC has come to a resolution that Jimmy Kimmel will return to his spot even while facing pushback about his inaccurate and disrespectful commentary regarding Charlie Kirk and his plummeting ratings. There is no word if this is permanant or if ABC is letting Kimmel complete his contract scheduled to end next year.
Jimmy Kimmel, the once-popular late-night talk show host, has been indefinitely suspended amidst a backdrop of criticisms for the political slant of his program. This suspension comes to light as it was revealed that, over the past three years, Kimmel's show hosted a solitary Republican guest—MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in 2023. The appearance, marked by a stunt that had Lindell encased in a claw machine, was explained by Kimmel as an attempt to help Lindell overcome "his debilitating fear of machines," referencing Lindell's claims of fraud with voting machines in the 2020 election.
The Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog, reported that in 2025, Kimmel's guest list was heavily skewed, featuring 13 left-leaning personalities and not a single Republican. The study further analyzed Kimmel's comedic material, finding that a staggering 97 percent of his jokes were aimed at conservatives, with former President Donald Trump being the punchline of 1,128 jokes. Elon Musk and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth were also among the frequent targets, whereas President Joe Biden was the subject of a mere 26 jokes in the same period.
Kimmel's monologues, post-summer vacation, were scrutinized by the New York Post, revealing that he spent about 90 minutes across nine episodes lambasting Trump. Political strategist Roger Stone criticized Kimmel's approach, labeling him a "shill for the left" and dismissing his narratives as "boring unfunny."
The late-night host's ratings have plummeted, with his viewership average in August 2025 dropping to 1.1 million from nearly double that figure at the year's start. This decline coincided with a controversial assertion by Kimmel regarding the political affiliations of the assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—an assertion that was later debunked. The ensuing fallout saw several ABC affiliates pull Kimmel's show from their broadcast schedules.
ABC's announcement of Kimmel's indefinite suspension has sparked a range of reactions. Some progressive commentators have decried the network's decision as an attack on free speech, while others speculate about potential FCC involvement, though there has been no official statement from the commission.
The controversy enveloping Kimmel is part of a broader critique of late-night television, which has seen a decline in viewership and increasing perceptions of partisan bias among hosts. As the network remains silent on whether Kimmel will return or who might take over his timeslot, the late-night landscape continues to grapple with the challenge of maintaining balance, humor, and audience engagement in an increasingly polarized environment.
