Jimmy Kimmel Live! is set to undergo a major change, with reports indicating that the late-night show will no longer feature nightly musical performances. The decision comes months after the show was temporarily suspended when affiliate stations boycotted it over host Jimmy Kimmel's comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
According to sources from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, the show will now only showcase musical acts two nights a week, with the total number of musical guests being reduced. The move is part of budget tightening following Kimmel's new contract with ABC parent company Disney, which keeps him as host until at least 2027.
The change reflects a broader trend of diminishing late-night television. Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, the most-watched late-night program on U.S. broadcast television, is set to end in May due to what CBS described as a "financial decision." Kimmel expressed support for Colbert on Instagram, writing, "Love you Stephen."
Kimmel recently won the best talk show prize at the Critics Choice Awards, where he thanked President Donald Trump for the "many ridiculous things you do each and every day." He also joked about a deal between Disney and OpenAI, saying that OpenAI boss Sam Altman "now owns my voice and face. Please don’t do anything weird with it."
