CBS retired The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, allegedly due to financial reasons. Since then, fans have become anxious about the fate of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and have started wondering if the late-night talk show will also get canceled. These fears were exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of Kimmel and the show on social media and his anticipation that it would eventually be taken off the air. Kimmel launched the popular talk show, which is broadcast on ABC, over 20 years ago on January 26, 2003.
So has Jimmy Kimmel Live! been canceled? Will it get axed? Here’s what you need to know.
Has Jimmy Kimmel Live been canceled as well?
There is no official confirmation that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been canceled by ABC. Thus, it will continue broadcasting as usual until ABC weighs in on the late-night talk show’s future.
However, President Donald Trump recently suggested via Truth Social that the popular talk show was next in line to get axed after The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He added that the show’s cancellation would be followed by that of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
He wrote, “The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone.” Trump criticized both of them, opining that they had “NO TALENT,” and that they were “destroying what used to be GREAT Television.” “It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!” he added.
Kimmel fired back at Trump’s comments via Instagram. He wrote, “I’m hearing you’re next. Or maybe it’s just another wonderful secret.”
Kimmel’s “wonderful secret” comment is a reference to a Wall Street Journal article published on July 17, 2025. The piece suggested that Trump sent a letter to the deceased Jeffrey Epstein, included in a birthday card of well-wishes. The letter seemingly included “several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.”
Trump’s letter concluded with the message: “‘Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
