Jimmy Kimmel openly questions the future of late-night TV shows after the demise of the long-running program Stephen Colbert on CBS. The broadcast veteran admitted that Colbert's departure forced him to confront difficult questions about the future of his own show and the changing television landscape.
Jimmy Kimmel says ending Stephen Colbert's talk show is like "looking into my own future.".
In a new interview with Vulture, Jimmy Kimmel opened up about his concerns about the future of late-night television. He discussed the declining trust in the industry and shared his own experiences navigating political scandals during the Trump era. Kimmel said watching Colbert's departure struck a very personal chord. "I feel a little devastated about it," Kimmel told the publication after Colbert's final episode aired on May 21. "In many ways, I feel like I'm looking into my own future.".
In July 2025, CBS canceled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," despite Colbert still having a year left on his contract. The network claimed the decision was made for financial reasons, but the move sparked controversy among media experts and television insiders. Many questioned whether Colbert's frequent criticism of Donald Trump influenced the decision, especially as Paramount Global was pursuing a merger with Skydance Media.
Reports claimed Colbert's show was losing around $40 million a year. However, Kimmel noted that CBS reportedly offered Colbert a longer contract just a few years ago. This made him question the network's argument. "Am I supposed to believe that in those two years, they're suddenly losing $40 million a year?" Kimmel asked. "That's just a made-up number.".
The late-night show host suggested that this explanation raises more questions, especially given Colbert's high ratings for much of his tenure. Kimmel also disagreed with the idea that late-night television is dying. "More people are watching late-night television now than ever before. If you look at the number of views my colleagues and I get online every day, and add to that the ratings for our traditional television," he said. He went even further, arguing that "We're not just dying of natural causes," Kimmel said. "We're being poisoned.".
The original article was written by Khushali Srivastava on the website Reality Tea.
The article "Jimmy Kimmel fears the same fate as Stephen Colbert and his talk show" first appeared on the website Mandatory.