Jimmy Kimmel’s colleagues at Disney are throwing him under the bus, according to a new report.
According to Page Six, “insiders” called the late-night host an “a--hole” who “never played well in the sandbox,” amid rumors that his show is coming to an end after 24 seasons. The site first reported last month that ABC would not renew the host’s contract when it ends in 2027, but the network told the Daily Beast that the report was “inaccurate” and “purely speculative.”
The newest report alleges that not only was the original reporting accurate, but that the host is to blame.
One alleged example is that Kimmel refused to appear on other ABC shows, Good Morning America and The View. Another told the site that was because “he doesn’t want to be a shill.” They added, “And when he does, he’s a complete a--hole.” They also alleged that despite wanting ABC to “prop up the stuff he was doing,” he would never “reciprocate” by having his colleagues on his own show.
“People would get upset,” they claimed. The site cites “multiple sources,” who claim late-night’s most-watched host was “unmanageable.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to ABC and a representative for Kimmel for comment.
One said Kimmel’s unmanageability was on full display at this year’s Upfronts presentation. “It was uncomfortable to say the least,” they alleged to Page Six.
Other sources contradicted the characterization, arguing that Kimmel welcomed “66 synergy guests” to his show since October of last year and that he appeared on both GMA and Live with Kelly and Mark this year. They also pointed out that Kimmel tapes his obligatory messages to ABC’s local affiliate stations and has hosted the Oscars for ABC several times.
The damning claims also contradict Howard Stern’s declaration that “there is nobody more loyal than Jimmy Kimmel” to the network.
Stern said during an appearance on Kimmel’s show last month, “I’ve said to him, you know, he goes to these things. ABC has a corporate function where they try to attract advertisers. Every year he’d go to what they call the ‘Upfronts,’ right? And I said, ‘Jimmy, why would you go to that? They don’t pay you to do it.’ And you know what he said to me? He said, ‘I go because it’s ABC and they need me to do it.’ And you’ve gone to every charity event they ever asked you to attend.”
Still, a dissenting source insisted that Kimmel only played nice because he was on “thin ice” with the network following his suspension last year. The site quotes an “industry source” as saying CBS’ cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show has made way for ABC to do the same with Kimmel.
Dana Walden, the president and chief creative officer of the Walt Disney Company, cast doubt on the host’s future on the network earlier this month, even though ABC insisted the report about his cancellation was “inaccurate.”
“It’s a very challenging daypart, late-night,” Walden said. “That’s not to say that Jimmy is not doing a phenomenal job, and his ratings are up, but they’re up relative to a smaller audience that’s watching late night on broadcast television.”
