Sawt Falasteen - Jimmy Kimmel extends late night contract for a year

The late-night host will continue to front "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" into the middle of 2027, a person familiar with the matter told AFP.

His contract had been due to expire in May of next year.

The move comes after a spat pitting the White House against Kimmel in the wake of the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel, who frequently skewers Trump and his inner circle, annoyed conservatives when he said "the MAGA gang" was trying to exploit the college campus murder.

Trump's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr appeared to threaten the licenses of ABC affiliates broadcasting the show unless they demanded Kimmel's removal.

Two companies that own dozens of those affiliates -- Nexstar and Sinclair -- then announced they would be removing the show from their schedules, prompting Disney to suspend the show nationwide.

But after a huge public and Hollywood backlash, Kimmel was back on the air after a week-long hiatus, delivering a blockbuster monologue in which he slammed government attempts to censor him as "anti-American."

He has continued to take aim at Trump, mocking him for apparently falling asleep in meetings, and for mispronouncing the names of international leaders with whom he boasts he has brokered peace deals.

Trump, meanwhile, shows no sign of giving up his crusade to get Kimmel cancelled.

At a revamped awards ceremony at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night, he called the funnyman "horrible," as he predicted bumper ratings for the show.

"If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president," he said.

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST