ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Live Off Air Without Explanation

ABC unexpectedly pulled the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night, halting production just hours before airtime and leaving both viewers and scheduled guests in the dark.

The episode was set to feature actor David Duchovny, “Stranger Things” star Joe Keery, and singer Madison Beer. Beer herself revealed the cancellation, posting on X: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, @jimmykimmellive needed to reschedule my performance that was originally scheduled to air tonight to a later date.”

ABC has provided no public explanation for the sudden move. The industry newsletter LateNighter reported the decision was due to “a personal matter.”

Instead of a new broadcast at 11:35 p.m. ET, the network rolled a rerun from Oct. 28.

A Reddit user claiming to have been holding tickets for Thursday’s taping shared what appeared to be a message from the show's audience team. “Tonight’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live has been postponed,” it read. “Apologies for any inconvenience. Will contact you to reschedule for a future taping.”

Kimmel, who tapes Monday through Thursday, has been behind the desk for 22 years and rarely misses a scheduled episode. However, this latest disappearance comes on the heels of a controversy that briefly drove him off the air earlier this fall.

In September, Kimmel delivered an angry monologue targeting supporters of President Donald J. Trump following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on Sept. 15.

The backlash came swiftly. Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group pulled the show from multiple ABC affiliates, calling Kimmel’s rant “ill-timed and insensitive.” Two days later, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr condemned the remarks, and Disney temporarily suspended the show. It returned on Sept. 23.

When Kimmel reappeared, he delivered a visibly emotional address referencing Erika Kirk’s public forgiveness of her husband’s killer — though he did not retract or apologize for his previous statements.

“There was a moment over the weekend, a very beautiful moment. I don’t know if you saw this. On Sunday, Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband. She forgave him. That is an example we should follow,” Kimmel said. “If you believe in the teachings of Jesus, as I do, there it was. That’s it. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply, and I hope it touches many, and if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that.”

Kimmel has also taken time off for legitimate personal reasons in the past, including the birth of his granddaughter and his son Billy’s heart surgeries. But unlike those absences, ABC has not offered even a basic explanation for Thursday night’s abrupt pull — nor any timeline for when new episodes will resume.

As of Friday morning, silence from the network remains the only official word.