Overview
- Kimmel told reporters on June 1 that he does not believe CBS’s claim that Stephen Colbert’s Late Show lost about $40 million a year and called the figure “made-up.”
- CBS has replaced Colbert’s hour with Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed under a time-buy deal that leases the airtime to Allen’s company, which will sell the ads and, the network says, turn losses into profit.
- Kimmel said ABC told him his own show remains profitable, but he cited a one-year contract renewal in December and a past suspension as reasons he feels uncertain about his future on late-night television.
- The dispute highlights a larger debate over how networks count audience and revenue, with hosts pointing to combined online and linear viewership while networks push cost-cutting measures like leased time slots.
- Industry watchers say the move could prompt more leased airtime deals, tighter short-term contracts for hosts, and renewed scrutiny of whether corporate or political pressures shape programming choices.