Bloomberg Talks

Episode: Jimmy Kimmel Talks ABC Suspension and State of Late-Night TV
Date: October 9, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Jimmy Kimmel speaks candidly with Bloomberg about his recent suspension from ABC following controversial comments, the shifting landscape of late-night television, his views on comedy in the Trump era, the business side of network TV, and what the future might hold for him and the genre. Kimmel reflects on the pressures and changes shaping late-night, responds to controversies, and offers personal insights on his career and advice for aspiring broadcasters.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The AI Podcast about Kimmel’s Life

• The conversation opens with a mention of an AI-generated podcast narrating Jimmy Kimmel’s life.
  • Kimmel reacts with a mix of amusement and unease:

    “That’s pretty spot on. This AI is terrifying.” (01:19)

2. The ABC Suspension and Fallout

• Timeline and Initial Reaction:
  • Kimmel discusses the aftermath of his comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination and his initial lack of concern:

    “I didn't think there was a big problem. I just saw it as distortion on the part of some of the right wing media networks and I aimed to correct it.” (01:38)

  • He realized the severity when ABC pulled his show off the air:

    “I think when they pulled the show off the air. Well, that's unusual.” (02:09)

• Conversations with Network Leadership:
  • Kimmel describes his talks with ABC execs Dana and Bob as constructive, not confrontational:

    “They are people I’ve known a long time...we all wanted this to work out best. Having those days to think about it was helpful.” (02:29–03:00)

• On Coming Back:
  • He shares there wasn’t a finalized plan for his return episode—just the intent to be honest:

    “…it had to be truthful, and I had to lay it all out there…The important thing to me was that I was able to explain what I was saying, what I was trying to say.” (03:54–04:54)

• On His Comments Being Mischaracterized:

  “It was intentionally and, I think, maliciously mischaracterized. Yes. Yeah.” (05:00)

3. Politics and Late-Night Comedy

• Kimmel’s Shift: The host and interviewer discuss how Kimmel has become more political over the years.
  • Kimmel credits maturity and the changing news environment:

    “I think maturity is part of it…My job, as I see it, is to talk about the news of the day, and these are the big stories of the day pretty much every day.” (05:51–07:02)

• The “Trump Effect”:
  • Kimmel comments on Trump’s omnipresence and the challenges it brings:

    “He gives us a lot to use to deal with...It makes it just more digestible and less digestible at the same time.” (07:30)

• Comedy in Political Times:
  • Kimmel acknowledges not every late-night host must take his approach:

    “I get it. You’re walking into a town...you just want to make people laugh and not necessarily on a crusade. I don’t think any of those guys should be required to speak the way I do… I choose to do it.” (08:27–09:19)

4. Booking Guests and Interviewing

• Dream Guests:

  “I would love to have Banksy on the show. Yeah, that’s my dream guest.” (12:22)

• Interview Preparation:
  • Kimmel discusses giving Aziz Ansari a heads-up about asking uncomfortable questions:

    “There’s an understanding of what you’re gonna talk about…they always know basically what the topics are going to be.” (10:29–10:48)

5. Reflections on Suspension and Affiliates

• Potential Show End:
  • Kimmel recounts a past incident with Detroit affiliates, noting regional markets’ power:

    “If we don’t have Detroit, you’re done. The show’s over.” (17:00)

  • On refusing network demands:

    “There seemed to be a list of demands presented to me, and I was not gonna go along with any of them...I said to my wife, ‘that’s it. It’s over.’” (17:20–18:01)

6. The Business and Ratings of Late Night TV

• Budget and Profitability:

  “I know what the budgets for these shows are…I know that it's not $40 million. Is the show losing money? I can't imagine it's losing a lot of money if it is.” (12:46–13:19)

  • Typical budget: $120 million. (13:24)
  • If shows lost significant money:

    “If we're losing so much money, none of us would be on. That’s kind of all you need to know.” (13:36–13:51)

• Changing Audience and YouTube:
  • Kimmel on not tailoring for YouTube:

    “I never have changed my show to make it for YouTube…I’m very conscious of the fact that ABC pays for the show and YouTube pays nothing.” (18:33)

  • On YouTube vs. TV views:

    “I woke up this morning, there were 2.2 million views of my monologue the night before. So for everyone who says late night is dying, it's just not true.” (19:49)

  • On rating metrics:

    “TikTok is three seconds. I think YouTube is 30. TV I think is like a five minute chunk that you have to.” (20:36–20:43)

7. The Late Night Format and Future

• Format Stasis and Endurance:
  • On why the late-night format doesn’t change:

    “We realized, oh, they just want to see a desk and the guests and a band and you know, don’t fuck around with it. It’s a great format… it’s exactly as it was then for a reason.” (21:08)

• Survival of Shows:
  • “I think there’s, I don’t think there’s a reason for these shows to go away… somebody will figure it out.” (21:52)

8. Kimmel’s Future Plans and Legacy

• Contract Renewal:

  "The last three contracts I said, this is the last one. So I've learned not to say anything anymore because it upsets my staff." (14:23)

• Post-Late-Night Projects:

  “I started a production company…I have a lot of ideas, most of them are not good ideas, but some I think are really good ideas and they're not just television related.” (15:19)

  • Current projects: developing a show with Mark Rober for Netflix, sitcom with Chris Disteffan. (15:53–16:01)

9. State of Comedy and Advice for the Next Generation

• Advice to New Broadcasters/Comedians:

  “Start doing a podcast or start a YouTube channel. Do it every single day. It doesn't matter if anybody's watching it. Just keep doing it over and over and over and over again. And you’re gonna get—if you have any talent, you’re going to get good at it…if something is good, it will catch on.” (24:52–25:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Podcasts:

  “That’s pretty spot on. This AI is terrifying.” – Jimmy Kimmel (01:19)

• On Media Distortion:

  “It was intentionally and, I think, maliciously mischaracterized. Yes.” – Kimmel on outrage over his comments (05:00)

• On Comedy and Politics:

  “I get it. You’re walking into a town...you just want to make people laugh and not necessarily on a crusade. And I don't think any of those guys should be required to speak the way I do… I choose to do it.” (08:27–09:19)

• On the Business Reality of Late-Night:

  “If we’re losing so much money, none of us would be on. That’s kind of all you need to know.” (13:36–13:51)

• On Late Night’s Endurance:

  “It’s a great format… it’s exactly as it was then for a reason.” (21:08)

• On Starting Out in Today's Media:

  “Just keep doing it over and over and over and over again. And you’re gonna get—if you have any talent, you’re going to get good at it.” (24:52–25:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening banter and the AI Kimmel podcast (00:31–01:19)
• ABC Suspension: Realization and executive conversations (01:26–03:00)
• Return to air, dealing with controversy (03:24–05:04)
• Political evolution and Trump’s impact (05:14–08:07)
• On the challenge and focus of political comedy (08:07–09:47)
• Late-night ratings, YouTube’s effect, metrics (18:16–20:56)
• Business of the show: budgets and profits (12:46–13:51)
• What’s next for Jimmy Kimmel (14:06–16:24)
• Advice to new comedians and broadcasters (24:52–25:48)

Conclusion

Jimmy Kimmel’s conversation offers a frank look at the intricacies, pressures, and evolution of modern late-night television. He discusses navigating controversy, the unavoidable politicization of comedy in the Trump era, changing business models amid digital disruption, and his personal journey and advice for the next generation. Throughout, Kimmel’s tone is candid, self-deprecating, and deeply aware of both media realities and his own industry legacy.