Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s chances of returning to his late-night perch looked increasingly slim Thursday, a day after ABC announced it was indefinitely suspending him under pressure from affiliates and President Trump’s administration.

Industry observers along with voices on both the political right and left offered differing rationales for why Kimmel was unlikely to return to the small screen any time soon.

But across the political and media worlds, there was near-universal agreement that it was doubtful Kimmel will make a comeback after losing his desk in a sudden move on Wednesday night.

Some voices saw the reason for Kimmel’s suspension — remarks about the political background of the man suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk — as being an excuse for a company to cut an expensive property who had fallen out with some viewers, all as late-night shows have lost some of their cultural appeal.

“Everyone wants to make this about right-wing cancel culture, but this was a long time coming for Kimmel,” one national Republican political operative told The Hill on Thursday.

“This was a financially necessary decision for ABC, which clearly saw the anti-Trump garbage he had been pumping out for years as a liability.”

Trump for years has criticized all of the late-night hosts, knocking them for their ratings and taking offense at the frequent barbs they’ve made against him. Kimmel has been a frequent target, with the two trading insults.

Just last year, Kimmel reacted in real time to Trump’s criticism on social media as he hosted the Oscars. “Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars?” Trump wrote in March 2024 — a post Kimmel then read from the stage.

“His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be........

© The Hill