Spooked Jimmy Kimmel's F-word rant over Colbert cancelation as his own late night show circles the drain

Daily Mail​

18-07-2025

Jimmy Kimmel ranted at CBS bosses over the cancelation of his rival Stephen Colbert 's late night show...and amid growing claims Kimmel faces the ax too.
Kimmel shared a video of Colbert telling his audience the grim news, writing, 'Love you Stephen. F*** you and all your Sheldons CBS.'
The shady comment appeared to reference the Big Bang Theory universe on CBS, which includes shows like Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage and Young Sheldon.
Colbert shared the abrupt cancelation of his show during Thursday's taping, telling his live audience that the network was ending the program next year and this would be the last season of late-night on CBS.
He revealed that he heard the news just a day before and agreed with the audience's persistent boos.
Colbert clarified that CBS wasn't replacing him, and that 'it was all just going away.' He praised the job and said he wished someone else could take over his chair.
The network's decision to end its late-night programming altogether comes as the genre of late-night television has struggled to adapt to the streaming age.
It could serve as a grim warning to other late-night hosts, including Kimmel, who have seen a sharp decline in ratings amid nightly woke rants and tired anti-Trump jokes.
The Daily Mail reached out to ABC for comment.
The big three of the genre have long been considered to be Kimmel, Colbert, and Fallon, all competing at the coveted time slot of 11:35 pm EST.
The three hosts represent the three major network power players, ABC, CBS, and NBC, respectively.
Colbert has typically scored the top spot in ratings, finishing first in 2023 and 2024 with an average of 2.6 million viewers.
Kimmel finished the last two years in second, with an average of 1.82 million viewers, while Fallon placed third with 1.43 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Despite Colbert's success in ratings, the network still decided to axe his slot altogether, potentially representing a bleak outlook for the two Jimmys.
All three late-night shows dipped in ratings over the last five years, and shows at the 12:35 slot were even worse off.
CBS ended James Corden's The Late Late Show in 2023, citing that the later time slot was no longer profitable for the network.
Similarly to Colbert's departure, CBS opted to end the program altogether and never replaced Corden.
Viewing habits have changed in the age of streaming platforms like Netflix, making it harder for networks to attract advertisers - and the gigantic salaries of the little-watched late night hosts.
CBS are rumored to pay Colbert $15 million-a-year for his doomed show, with Kimmel said to be on the same enormous amount and Fallon on slightly more at $16 million.
But shows that once combined light celebrity interviews with gentle social commentary are now filled with constant jibes about President Trump and politics, with fewer viewers having a stomach for such sourness just before bedtime.
Colbert helped to produce a less expensive alternative titled After Midnight, hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, but the show also struggled to gain traction and was canceled after only two seasons.
Colbert's departure now signals CBS's exit from the late-night game altogether, ending a generations-long tradition of the three power players competing for number one.
Founding host David Letterman hosted the program for over 20 years before handing it off to Colbert in 2015.
During Letterman's stint, Jay Leno hosted The Tonight Show on NBC, marking a years-long battle between the two for the top show.
Letterman and Leno's generation represented a golden age in late-night, but streaming and social media have made it difficult for the genre to endure.
Paramount, CBS's parent corporation, has also undergone shakeups, with a deal pending to merge with Skydance.
Skydance, fronted by Trump backer Larry Ellison's son, David, has proposed a merger with Paramount to the tune of $8.4 billion.
The merger, which will need approval from the Trump administration, comes as Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit with the president for $16 million.
Just a few days before the news dropped of The Late Show's cancellation, Colbert slammed Paramount for accepting the settlement on-air.
He called the payout a 'big, fat, bribe,' and criticized his parent company of not fighting harder against it.
Paramount denied any political motivation for canceling the program, explaining that the decision was a 'purely a financial' one 'against a challenging backdrop in late night.'
'We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire the Late Show franchise at that time,' the executives said.
'We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and his broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.'
'It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,' the statement added.