Jimmy Kimmel Will Go Dark the Night of Stephen Colbert’s Final Late Show Episode

Jimmy Kimmel is stepping aside so his friend and fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert can have the spotlight all to himself.

Kimmel confirmed on Monday, May 11 that ABC will not air a new episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, May 21 — the night Colbert is set to air his final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS, according to LateNighter. ABC plans to broadcast a rerun that night after airing three original episodes earlier in the week.

It’s a move that speaks to the deep respect between late-night’s biggest names. According to the outlet, Kimmel, 58, made the same gesture in 2015 when David Letterman stepped down from the same CBS late-night chair. At the time, Kimmel expressed that he respected Letterman far too much to compete for viewers on such a momentous night, per the outlet.

The 61-year-old’s final broadcast will mark the end of an 11-year run as host of The Late Show, which Letterman originally launched in 1993. CBS revealed last year that the show would be coming to an end, pointing to financial considerations — a decision that notably followed Colbert’s public criticism of parent company Paramount over its 60 Minutes legal settlement with President Donald Trump.

The farewell week is shaping up to be a star-studded affair. According to the report, Kimmel is set to appear alongside Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver for a “Strike Force Five” reunion episode of The Late Show on Monday — a nod to the podcast the hosts launched together during the 2023 writers’ strike. Letterman himself is expected to appear on Thursday’s final episode.

Not everyone is following Kimmel’s lead, however. As of press time, NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was still planning to run a new episode head-to-head with Colbert’s farewell, per LateNighter.