Jimmy Kimmel Accuses CBS Of Using 'Made-Up Numbers' While Firing Colbert: 'We're Being Poisoned'

BreakingBusinessJimmy Kimmel Accuses CBS Of Using 'Made-Up Numbers' While Firing Colbert: 'We're Being Poisoned'ByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorJun 01, 2026, 11:44am EDTToplineLate night host Jimmy Kimmel blasted CBS in a new interview and accused the network of lying about why it canceled "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert, saying executives used "made-up numbers" to call the move a financial decision and claiming his own show, which has aired on ABC since 2003 (and drew in fewer viewers) is still profitable. Jimmy Kimmel on May 12, 2026.Disney via Getty ImagesKey FactsIn a new interview with New York, Kimmel reflected on the end of "The Late Show" and said, "In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m looking at my own future,” adding he doesn’t feel the late night format is “dying of natural causes. We’re being poisoned.” Colbert was taken off the air last month in what CBS said was a "purely financial" move that coincided with calls from President Donald Trump to cancel the show—which frequently criticized him—as the network's parent company, Paramount, sought the administration's approval to merge with billionaire-backed Skydance Media. Kimmel, 58, told New York that CBS's claims "The Late Show" was losing upwards of $40 million a year doesn’t add up, pointing to the network's attempt to sign Colbert to a five-year contract in 2023: "Am I to believe that over the course of those two years, they suddenly started losing $40 million a year?”He said he's been told "quite specifically" that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is still profitable for ABC, while Kimmel has routinely drawn less viewers than Colbert, though his show did routinely win in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, a key one for advertisers. Kimmel, who signed a one-year deal with ABC in December instead...