Jimmy Kimmel Emerges as Late Night’s Leading Trump Critic After Stephen Colbert’s Exit

Stephen Colbert’s departure from The Late Show has left a significant opening in American late-night television. For years, Colbert was one of President Donald Trump’s most persistent television critics, regularly turning political developments into the centerpiece of his opening monologues.

Now attention is increasingly falling on Jimmy Kimmel. The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host has also built a reputation for pointed Trump commentary, and after Colbert’s final CBS broadcast on May 21, 2026, Kimmel has openly questioned what the changing late-night landscape could mean for his own future. CBS maintains that ending The Late Show was a financial decision rather than one based on Colbert’s political material.

Colbert’s Exit Leaves a Major Opening

CBS announced in July 2025 that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would conclude in May 2026 and that the network would retire the entire Late Show franchise rather than replace Colbert with another host.

The decision was particularly striking because CBS itself described Colbert’s program as the No. 1 show in network late night and said it had led the category for nine consecutive seasons. The network nevertheless cited the difficult economics surrounding late-night television and explicitly said the cancellation was unrelated to the program’s performance, content or other issues involving parent company Paramount.

That explanation did not stop speculation about politics, particularly because Colbert had been a vocal Trump critic and had criticized Paramount’s $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit involving a 60 Minutes interview.

No evidence publicly established that Colbert’s political commentary caused the cancellation, making the distinction between CBS’s stated explanation and outside speculation important.

Kimmel Saw Colbert’s Departure as a Warning

For Kimmel, the loss of Colbert wasn’t simply the departure of a competitor.

He viewed it as potentially revealing something about his own future.

Speaking to Vulture, Kimmel said he felt “a little bit defeated” by what happened and suggested that, in certain respects, he felt as though he was looking at what could eventually happen to him.

That reaction makes sense given the similarities between the two hosts. Both increasingly incorporated political commentary into their programs during the Trump era, and both have become frequent targets of criticism from Trump.

The difference now is that Kimmel remains behind his late-night desk while Colbert does not.

Kimmel Challenges the Idea That Late Night Is Simply Dying

The conventional explanation for late night’s difficulties centers on declining linear television audiences and increasingly challenging economics.

Kimmel has pushed back against the idea that declining traditional ratings tell the entire story.

He argues that late-night television’s audience has changed rather than simply disappeared. Monologues, interviews and comedy segments routinely reach viewers through YouTube and social platforms instead of only during their original broadcasts.

ABC itself promotes Jimmy Kimmel Live! across its digital platforms alongside its traditional 11:35 p.m. television broadcast.

Kimmel therefore sees online reach as an increasingly important part of measuring late night’s relevance.

His description of the industry’s problems has been considerably darker. Discussing the pressure facing the format, he argued that late-night television wasn’t merely “dying of natural causes.”

“We’re being poisoned,” he told Vulture.

Kimmel Has Already Faced His Own Late Night Crisis

Kimmel’s concerns aren’t entirely theoretical.

In September 2025, Jimmy Kimmel Live! temporarily disappeared from ABC’s schedule during a controversy surrounding remarks Kimmel made after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The program subsequently returned.

ABC’s own programming records confirm that Kimmel resumed hosting the show on Sept. 23, following the suspension.

The episode became part of a much larger national debate involving political speech, corporate decision-making and the boundaries surrounding television comedy.

For Kimmel, it also demonstrated how quickly a late-night host’s political material could become a controversy extending far beyond entertainment.

Colbert and Kimmel Shared One Last Late Night Moment

Whatever competitive relationship existed between their shows, Kimmel made his feelings about Colbert clear during The Late Show‘s final stretch.

Kimmel appeared alongside Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver as Colbert prepared to say goodbye. Kimmel and Fallon also aired reruns on the evening of Colbert’s final broadcast rather than competing against his farewell episode.

“Late night is not gonna be the same without you,” Kimmel told him.

Colbert’s finale eventually became a celebration of the format itself, featuring appearances and performances from Paul McCartney, Jon Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, Jon Batiste, Elvis Costello and others.

His departure ended not only his 11-year tenure but the 33-year history of CBS’s Late Show franchise.

Does Kimmel Really Inherit Colbert’s Political Role?

Calling Kimmel the automatic successor to Colbert as Trump’s principal late-night television critic is ultimately an interpretation rather than an objective title.

Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart and John Oliver also regularly produce political comedy and criticism, while each has a distinct approach.

What gives Kimmel a particularly strong claim is his combination of a major broadcast-network platform, his history of confrontations involving Trump and his willingness to make political issues central to his monologues.

In today’s fragmented television environment, however, influence isn’t determined entirely by who occupies a particular time slot. Viral clips can reach millions of viewers who never watch an entire late-night episode.

That means Colbert’s former role may not belong exclusively to anyone.

Late Night Enters a Very Different Era

Colbert’s departure represents something larger than one television personality leaving a network.

CBS has eliminated a franchise that began with David Letterman in 1993, while the remaining hosts are competing in a media environment where audiences increasingly consume individual clips instead of watching hour-long broadcasts.

Kimmel now finds himself in an unusually prominent position within that landscape. His political clashes have already tested his program, and Colbert’s departure has given his comments about late night’s future additional significance.

Whether viewers ultimately regard Kimmel as Colbert’s successor in the political-comedy arena remains subjective. But with Colbert gone from CBS, Kimmel is unquestionably one of the most visible broadcast hosts still willing to make Trump a regular target of his comedy.

Featured Image: Shutterstock, instagram.com/colbert