Dana Walden, Disney's president and chief creative officer, declined to comment on Jimmy Kimmel’s future as the host of ABC’s late-night show when questioned at the Bloomberg Screentime summit. When asked about Kimmel’s status for next year, Walden responded evasively, citing the challenges of maintaining a successful broadcast television talk show in today's fragmented media landscape. She noted that while Kimmel is performing well and has gained popularity as a voice for free speech, the business model for late-night shows on traditional networks is becoming less lucrative compared to digital platforms like YouTube.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At the Bloomberg Screentime summit in Los Angeles, Dana Walden, Disney's president and chief creative officer, dodged questions about Jimmy Kimmel's future as host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" when asked if he would still be hosting a year from now. Walden neither confirmed nor denied reports suggesting the show might end when Kimmel's contract expires in May 2027. She noted that while Kimmel is doing well and his ratings are up, late-night TV remains a challenging segment due to declining audiences on broadcast television and the shift of viewership to platforms like YouTube.
Written for “Jimmy Kimmel Future Uncertain” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
A top Disney executive refrained from weighing in on Jimmy Kimmel's future at ABC as his role as a late-night host for the long term remains in question.
asserted
role → refrain → question
Dana Walden, The Walt Disney Company's president and chief creative officer, appeared Thursday at the Bloomberg Screentime summit and was asked by Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw whether Kimmel will be hosting his late-night show "a year from now.
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Kimmel → appear → show
"
"Well, I'm certainly not going to make that announcement with you here today," Walden awkwardly responded with a grin.
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Walden → go → grin
Shaw then asked why it isn't a "no-brainer" for Disney to keep Kimmel on air, pointing to a boost in ratings and his status as a "free speech hero" following his clashes with President Donald Trump and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr.
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Disney → ask → Trump
"The truth is, it's a very challenging day part, late night," Walden responded.
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Walden → respond → ?
"That's not to say that Jimmy is not doing a phenomenal job, and his ratings are up, but they're up relative to a smaller audience that's watching late night on broadcast television."
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that → say → television
Millions of people are watching On Demand, the parts of that show — that is not a lucrative opportunity for a very premium talk show.
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that → watch → show
So we're trying to make sense of the business while also honoring a deep partnership," she continued.
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she → try → partnership
"I love Jimmy.
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I → love → Jimmy
We have a great friendship," Walden continued.
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Walden → have → friendship
And again, we're trying to work through it and make sense of both what does Jimmy want, what's the right thing to do and what's right thing for our business."
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what → try → business
There has been unconfirmed speculation that the current season of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will be its last and officially bow out in 2027.
uncertain
season → bow → 2027
It would come following a tumultuous year for Kimmel, including when Disney briefly suspended his show in September 2025 after he sparked backlash for comments he made about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
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he → come → Kirk
He also clashed with the White House earlier this year after he joked that first lady Melania Trump had "a glow like an expectant widow."
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Trump → clash → widow
At the same event on Wednesday, comedian Conan O'Brien lamented the decline in the late-night TV landscape.
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O'Brien → lament → landscape
"I saw over my 17 years with NBC ...
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I → see → NBC
I started to see, oh, this is really changing.
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this → start → ?
This is really changing," O'Brien said.
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O'Brien → change → ?
"They're asking us to be much more cost-conscious.
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They → ask → us
And it was for a good reason, which is that, you know, HBO, Cinemax, these are the things [that] are coming up.
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that → know → reason
"It's a little like Detroit and automobiles," he added, referencing the decline in the U.S. auto industry as competition increased from Japan and Europe.
O'Brien spent decades on late-night television between his stints on NBC and TBS before transitioning into podcasts, now hosting "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend."
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O'Brien → add → Friend
TBS ultimately scrapped its late-night programming in 2022 following the cancellation of "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
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TBS → scrap → Bee
Earlier this year, CBS pulled the plug on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," replacing it with Byron Allen's syndicated comic talk show "Comics Unleashed."
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CBS → pull → show
"The Late Show" reportedly was losing CBS $40 million a year and had been running on a whopping $100 million budget per season.
uncertain
Show → lose → season
While the viewership of "Comics Unleashed" is a fraction of the audience that Stephen Colbert had, it was reported that CBS now expects to make a $15 million profit in the same time slot due to the massive cost-cutting.
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CBS → have → cutting
The Aporia
