Jimmy Kimmel Criticizes CBS Over Leaked Colbert Comments

Jimmy Kimmel Challenges Claims of Stephen Colbert’s Show Financial Loss

Jimmy Kimmel recently dismissed a report suggesting that Stephen Colbert’s Late Show was costing Paramount $40 million annually, calling the claim “beyond nonsensical.” The statement came as Kimmel spoke to Variety shortly after CBS parent company Paramount announced that The Late Show would end in May. This decision coincided with a major merger between Paramount and Skydance, valued at $8 billion.

The controversy began when Puck reported that Colbert’s show had been a financial burden on the company, losing millions each year. Kimmel strongly refuted this, stating, “There’s just not a snowball’s chance in hell that that’s anywhere near accurate.” He criticized the so-called insiders who provided such information, saying they “don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Kimmel emphasized that ad revenue is only one part of a show’s income. He pointed out that affiliate fees—revenue generated from local stations carrying the program—can also contribute significantly to profitability. “It really is surprising how little the media seems to know about how the media works,” he added.

Colbert’s show was canceled just days after he criticized Paramount for its $16 million settlement with Donald Trump over a controversial 60 Minutes interview. Kimmel questioned whether the cancellation was truly a financial decision, noting that earlier claims had suggested his own show was unprofitable. “The first 10 years I did the show, they claimed we weren’t making any money, and we had five times as many viewers on ABC as we do now,” he said.

For Kimmel, the issue isn’t just about money—it’s about free speech. He argued that if President Joe Biden had used his influence to remove Sean Hannity from the air, he would have supported Hannity. “I would, in fact, support Sean Hannity in that situation, because I thought one of the founding principles of this country was free speech,” Kimmel said.

This stance has drawn attention given the long-standing feud between Kimmel and Hannity. Their rivalry began in 2018 after Kimmel made jokes about Melania Trump’s accent. Hannity responded by calling Kimmel a “sick, twisted, creepy, perverted weirdo.” The two have continued to exchange barbs over the years, with Hannity recently labeling Kimmel an “unhinged loser.”

Despite the changing media landscape, Kimmel remains confident that late-night television is still thriving. “More people are watching late-night television than ever before,” he said, citing high viewership numbers for monologues and online platforms. “Our monologues get between 2 and 5 million views, sometimes more, every night. Seth Meyers gets 2 million on YouTube alone. We’re not even talking about Instagram or the other platforms.”

Kimmel also expressed his desire for Stephen Colbert to win the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series. He has even used his show’s FYC billboard in West Hollywood to declare, “I’m Voting For Stephen.” When asked about this to Variety, Kimmel said, “It seems like voting for Stephen is the least we could do at this point, and I think it will be a nice statement if he does win.”

He believes others share his sentiment: “I fully expect Stephen to win the Emmy as I think people are very, very upset about what happened to him and his show.”