Jimmy Kimmel isn’t going anywhere. In an era in which late-night television often seems to be either blowing up, evolving or being braced for the worst, he has just closed a new pact with Disney that locks Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the air through May 2027. And timing offers a spotlight on something larger than a single man’s contract — it becomes a window into how the entire entertainment industry is trying to hold onto stability at a time when nothing else seems (and, truly, is) certain.
Kimmel has emerged as one of the few remaining actual anchors to old-fashioned late-night television. The culture around him has shifted tectonically — audiences have flocked to streaming, generations of younger viewers don’t know what a broadcast schedule is and the budgets for late night aren’t what they once were. Hosts like James Corden have stepped back, “The Daily Show” went years without a host in residence and networks are looking to leave no penny un-pinched. Yet Kimmel has, somehow, remained relevant, steady and profitable — to the extent that Disney wants him locked down for years ahead.
And those embedded within the industry say his value is not just in ratings — it’s reliability. In an age when network TV executives wake up every morning wondering which trend is going to be the next to collapse, Kimmel has offered the industry just what it loves most: predictability. He’s a safe pair of hands, an ever-present soothing totem, a host who knows how to stick the landing of a monologue and ride political cycles without blowing up the way so many personalities in the social-media era do.
And the fact is, Disney really needs it right now. The company is also contending with streaming losses, changes in leadership, box office performance that ebbs and flows, and a long-term fight for attention in a world where countless platforms clamor for viewers. With Kimmel locked in on a contract through 2027, it settles the picture for ABC in at least one corner of its lineup — one that is still viable with advertisers attracted to the live format and to a foothold in late-night culture.
Kimmel himself has previously dropped some hints that he wasn’t sure how long he intended to stick around. Most people, after twenty-plus years on the air, would start fretting about hitting the brakes. But that renewal implies he sees something worth sticking around for — whether the political ones, personal preference, or perhaps just the fact that late-night TV still allows him to do what he’s best at: Blending comedy with commentary and a certain looseness of operation that keeps audiences watching when they might otherwise be scrolling TikTok instead.
Kimmel has also now established himself as one of just a handful of late-night hosts who truly feels irreplaceable. Networks learned the hard way that removing a familiar name can sink an entire franchise. Ironically, stability is becoming a rarer and rarer premium in TV. And clearly Disney believes that Kimmel has enough cultural cachet to prevent ABC’s late-night slot from becoming irrelevant.
The shift arrives at a moment when the late night industry is attempting to define what “late night” even means anymore. The audience is fragmented. There is more virality in clips than full episodes. Writers’ strikes have forced networks to reconsider everything from the scale of budgets and formats. And now late-night hosts also have to be multi-platform personalities — not just TV stars.
Kimmel’s renewal shows that Disney is not willing to give up on the format. Not yet. While the streaming platforms are experimenting, networks are holding fast to a few anchors they can trust. And Kimmel is as safe a bet as any at this point — reliable audience, consistent performance and a voice that viewers have figured out how to tune into during times of chaotic news.
By extending his commitment to 2027, Disney is buying time — time for late-night TV to sort out what the next era of it looks like, and time for one of its most reliable personalities to keep pace while the rest of the industry reorganizes itself around streaming.
Kimmel’s staying might not break the internet or reinvent television, but it does arguably something more valuable in our moment: It offers ABC a sure thing. And in a world where nothing feels predictable anymore from entertainment, that’s worth far more than most people realize.
