American late-night television has been a space for satire, social commentary, and humour, but in today’s politically charged climate, even jokes can have serious consequences. The latest example comes from Jimmy Kimmel, who recently recounted the story of how his ABC show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly pulled off the air last month. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kimmel shared candid details about the unexpected call that left him thinking his show and career were finished for good.
Jimmy Kimmel reveals where he was when he received the call from ABC
During his conversation with Colbert, Kimmel revealed that the news came just before taping an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in mid-September. It was about 3:00 pm when he got a phone call from ABC, and they usually tape at 4:30 pm, Kimmel said. At the time, he was writing in his office, so Kimmel stepped into the bathroom to take the call. That’s when the network executives told him they were pulling the show. He said:
“It was about 3:00; we tape our show at 4:30, “I’m in my office, typing away as I usually do. I get a phone call. It’s ABC. They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual: They, as far as I knew, didn’t even know I was doing a show previous to this. “So I go into the bathroom, and I’m on the phone with the ABC executives. And they say, ‘Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you’re going to say tonight, so we’ve decided the best route is to take the show off the air.’”