Disney president Dana Walden has called late night a very challenging daypart while opening up about Jimmy Kimmel's future on ABC. The conversation touched on ratings, the changing economics of broadcast television, and the millions of viewers watching clips of his show on YouTube. Few hosts have had a year as loud as his, and few networks have had to weigh so many opinions at once. Walden answered every question with real care.

While late-night rivals fight over every sleepy viewer, Walden offered a frank take on the daypart and a hopeful update on Kimmel's chair.

Dana Walden says she is working on bringing Jimmy Kimmel Live! back to ABC next year. Jimmy Kimmel's contract expires in May 2027. She wants a plan that works for both Kimmel and Disney.

"It's a very challenging daypart, late-night," Walden said at Bloomberg’s Screentime.

She then added, "That's not to say that Jimmy is not doing a phenomenal job, and his ratings are up," explaining that the increase comes within a smaller overall audience watching late-night programming on broadcast television.

At Bloomberg’s Screentime event, Walden pointed to the show’s YouTube channel, where millions of viewers watch clips on demand, while noting that this audience does not generate the same revenue as a premium talk show. Disney is weighing what Kimmel wants against what suits the business. Page Six reported in September that Kimmel would step back from late night after that date. ABC called that claim inaccurate and said any reports about the show's future were purely speculative.

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While Disney debates Kimmel's future, the ratings have already started voting, and the early results are rather loud.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! opened the 2026-2027 season with 2.29 million viewers, which made it the top show in broadcast late-night during premiere week. ABC shared the figure in a September 29 announcement. The number covers the 11:35 p.m. ET/PT slot, where the show still airs. For a program that spent the past year in the headlines for other reasons, a ratings win is a very pleasant change of subject.

The win builds on a strong base, since the 2025-2026 season averaged 2 million viewers, the best for the show since 2017-2018. Its final week reached 2.34 million viewers and ranked first among adults 18 to 49, the group advertisers watch closely. The show's return after the 2025 suspension drew 6.3 million broadcast viewers despite some stations refusing it. Walden calls the daypart very challenging, yet Jimmy Kimmel is winning it.

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What are your thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel's ratings win and Disney's plans? Let us know in the comments.