Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel presented at the Oscars on Sunday night where he bashed CBS for canceling Stephen Colbert’s show during the Paramount-Skydance merger.
Jimmy Kimmel took his subtle jab at CBS while presenting Best Documentary.
“We hear a lot about courage at shows like this but telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage. As you know there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS,” he said.
Last year, CBS announced the cancelation of Stephen Colbert’s show, calling it a “financial decision.”
“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise” in May of 2026,” executives said in a statement. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
The end came just days after Stephen Colbert denounced his parent company’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, calling it a “big, fat bribe” for the Skydance merger. Critics of the cancelation claimed that it was a political retaliation.
Kimmel also hit at the Melania Trump documentary while presenting at the Oscars.
“Fortunately for all of us there’s an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth, oftentimes at great risk to make films that teach us, that call out injustice, that inspire us to take action, and there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes,” he said.
“Oh, man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this,” Kimmel later added.
In September of last year, Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel after he appeared to suggest that the assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was associated with MAGA despite evidence indicating he was influenced by left-wing ideologies. The suspension was spurred, in part, by broadcast affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair refusing to air the show in their respective markets.
Nexstar said Kimmel’s comments were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” adding it would like to “move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
Kimmel returned after a brief suspension, saying his comments were misconstrued.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” Kimmel continued in his monologue. “I posted a message on Instagram the day he was killed, sending love to his family, and asking for compassion, and I meant it. I still do.”
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