Kimmel and the other Late Night Hosts are attempting to pivot his show’s removal as the latest battle with Trump. When in reality, Late Night Hosts are fighting for their lives as the medium is absolutely dying, with advertising data firm Guideline reporting that brands spent $439 million advertising on network late-night television in 2018. By 2024, that number had been cut in half, and by 2023, Late Night TV had become unprofitable.
Kimmel’s show was in a ratings freefall, seeing around 1 million viewers nightly and ranking 3 out of 3 with late shows. Rumors around the industry and LA were that Kimmel’s days were numbered and his contract was not going to be renewed in 2026.
Now let’s talk about his show’s removal from the air. According to news reports, and official statements from Affiliates and trades, Kimmel’s removal was being talked about and decided before the FCC made its statement.
This was due to ABC Affiliates pulling the plug on the show, and ad brands began to call and inform Disney that ads would be pulled.
Now, did these Affiliates pull Kimmel for political reasons? No, as Jeffrey Sneider and others have said, the political statements by Kimmel were simply an excuse for the affiliates to cut a show that no one on their channels was watching; they are now free to fill that time slot with programming that will earn money, something Late Night shows had not been doing for years.
Quite simply, there was blood in the water and the sharks came, the affiliates saw this as an opportunity to jettison an unprofitable program.
Now you may be asking, “Byron, if this was a business move, why are all the late shows and Kimmel blaming Trump?”
Simple, it’s PR. Kimmel is young, and having your show be cut for bad ratings means no work in the future. This pivot by the hosts to blame politics is a desperate attempt to prove to the world they are not being cancelled due to the world moving on from their format.
The entertainment industry is ALL about the benjamin’s, I have spoken to well known producers and directors who were handed their walking papers when they could not bring in the cash. Had Kimmel been a hugely profitable show that was watched by tens of millions, no President or affiliate on earth could have removed him from the air.
Hollywood is a fickle mistress, one day its love, and the next you can come home and find the locks changed and the lights turned off.