ABC unexpectedly canceled the scheduled Thursday night broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, leaving viewers and planned guests searching for answers.
The long-running late-night program had been set to feature actor David Duchovny, Joe Keery of Stranger Things, and singer Madison Beer. Beer informed fans of the change several hours before airtime, writing on X that her performance had been postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances” and would be rescheduled for a later date. ABC has not publicly explained the sudden change. However, entertainment industry outlet LateNighter reported that the decision was related to a “personal matter.”
When viewers tuned in at the program’s usual 11:35 p.m. Eastern broadcast time, they were met with a rerun from Oct. 28 rather than host Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue. The unexpected substitution prompted confusion and speculation online. One Reddit user who said they had tickets for the taping posted what appeared to be an email from the show’s audience department stating that the episode had been postponed and that ticket holders would be contacted to reschedule. Kimmel, who typically records the show Monday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, has rarely missed a broadcast during more than two decades as host. The cancellation nevertheless follows another recent interruption, when the program was briefly suspended in September amid controversy surrounding comments Kimmel made about supporters of Donald Trump after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
