ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Live Off Air Without Explanation
ABC abruptly pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air Thursday night, leaving viewers and guests scrambling for answers.
The long-running late-night show had been scheduled to feature actor David Duchovny, “Stranger Things” star Joe Keery, and singer Madison Beer, who broke the news herself hours before airtime.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, @jimmykimmellive needed to reschedule my performance that was originally scheduled to air tonight to a later date,” Beer posted on X at 6:33 p.m. ET.
ABC has not commented on the sudden cancellation, but the industry site LateNighter reported that the decision stemmed from “a personal matter.”
When viewers tuned in at 11:35 p.m. ET, they were met not with Kimmel’s opening monologue but with a rerun from Oct. 28 — and widespread confusion.
A Reddit user claiming to have tickets for Thursday’s taping shared what appeared to be an email from the show’s audience department. “Tonight’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live has been postponed,” it read. “Apologies for any inconvenience. Will contact you to reschedule for a future taping.”
Kimmel, who typically records his show Monday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. PST, has rarely missed a broadcast in his 22 years behind the desk. But this marks the second sudden disappearance in recent months.
In September, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was briefly suspended after Kimmel unleashed an anti-Trump rant, accusing “the MAGA gang” of trying to “characterize a murder suspect as anything other than one of them” after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on Sept. 15.
Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group said after the episode aired that they would pull the program from dozens of ABC affiliates, citing Kimmel’s comments as “ill-timed and insensitive.”
Two days later, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr publicly rebuked Kimmel, and Disney reportedly pulled the show for several days. It returned to air on Sept. 23.
When he returned to his show a week after the Disney-owned network suspended him for his remarks he delivered a teary-eyed response to Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, though the host never actually apologized for the remark that got him thrown off the air.
“There was a moment over the weekend, a very beautiful moment. I don’t know if you saw this. On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow,” Kimmel told the audience.
“If you believe in the teachings of Jesus, as I do, there it was. That’s it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply, and I hope it touches many, and if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that,” Kimmel added.
Last month, ABC scheduled a short planned hiatus from Oct. 20–23, with new episodes resuming Oct. 27. Earlier this year, Kimmel missed a single taping after the birth of his granddaughter.
In 2017, he took a week off after his newborn son, Billy, underwent emergency heart surgery. The host has spoken openly about his son’s recovery, sharing a photo in April that showed Billy healthy and smiling. “He is very healthy and strong thanks to the doctors, nurses, therapists, and staff at @ChildrensLA & @CedarsSinai,” Kimmel wrote on Instagram, “and to those of you who have sent prayers, well wishes, and donations through the years.”
As of Friday morning, ABC had yet to issue an explanation or say when new episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would resume.
