Jimmy Kimmel’s net worth: How much he’s made as ‘Live!’ host
The 57-year-old, whose late-night talk show has been suspended “indefinitely”, has hosted ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ for over two decades.
The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show, over remarks he made about the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, comes at a time when question marks surrounded the 57-year-old’s future as host of the ABC program.
How much does Kimmel earn as Live! host?
Kimmel has anchored Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a multiple-Emmy Award-winning show, since 2003. He last renewed as the program’s host in 2022, penning a contract that is due to run until 2026 and is worth an estimated $16 million a year.
Per a recent Forbes ranking, this makes Kimmel, whose total net worth is reported to be around $50 million, the 24th-highest-paid host on U.S. television.
However, Kimmel’s doubts about his desire to remain at the helm of Live! beyond his current deal have been well documented.
“That seems like enough”
Asked earlier this month how long he intends to continue in late-night TV, Kimmel was evasive. “I’m not prepared to answer that question,” he told reporters at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, per Deadline.
“It’s something I think about a lot. Things have changed a lot over the last few years, the last nine years, each day is a new adventure and I kind of take them as they come.”
And in an interview with the L.A. Times in February 2024, Kimmel spoke more explicitly about his career plans, declaring that his most recent extension as Live! host may well represent “my final contract”.
“I hate to even say it, because everyone’s laughing at me now - each time I think that, and then it turns out to be not the case,” Kimmel told entertainment critic Tim Grierson. “I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough.”
Why has Jimmy Kimmel Live! been suspended?
ABC, a TV network owned by Disney, said on Wednesday that it is pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its programming schedule “indefinitely” after a backlash over comments Kimmel made in Monday’s show about Kirk’s killing.
During his opening monologue, Kimmel appeared to suggest that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect charged with shooting Kirk dead in Utah last week, might have been a pro-Trump Republican.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA [‘Make America Great Again’] gang 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.
ABC said it was suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! nationwide after Nexstar Media Group, a company that owns numerous ABC-affiliated stations in the U.S., revealed it had made the decision “for the foreseeable future” to “replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets”.
In a statement, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, Andrew Alford, said: “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”
A further owner of ABC-affiliated stations, Sinclair, also said it was pulling Live! indefinitely, adding that the program’s suspension is “not enough”.
“Sinclair also call upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family,” the media company said. “Furthermore, Sinclair asks Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and [Kirk’s conservative non-profit] Turning Point USA.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S.’s chief federal media regulator, had said there was “additional work for the FCC ahead” if action was not taken against Kimmel.
As noted by the Associated Press’s David Bauder, Disney and Nexstar are both pursuing regulatory approval for major proposed acquisitions. Disney-owned ESPN is attempting to buy NFL Network, while Nexstar is seeking the green light for its planned purchase of media company Tegna.
Kimmel reportedly “livid”
Citing a source close to Kimmel, the Hollywood Reporter said the host has no intention of saying sorry for his comments on Kirk’s assassination, as he feels he has nothing to apologize for.
The Daily Mail, meanwhile, has reported that Kimmel is “absolutely f—king livid” over the decision to pull his late-night show, and “already has new job plans”.
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