Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden said on Oct. 1 that the company is still working through the future of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, calling late night “a very challenging daypart” as Jimmy Kimmel approaches the end of a contract that runs through May 2027.
Speaking at Bloomberg’s Screentime event, Walden was asked why renewing the show is not a “no-brainer,” particularly with Kimmel’s ratings growing after CBS ended The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
She also pointed to the show’s online viewership. “Obviously, there’s a YouTube channel. Millions of people are watching, on demand, parts of that show. That is not a lucrative opportunity for a very premium talk show, so we’re trying to make sense of the business while also honoring a deep partnership.”
Walden described her relationship with the host as personal as well as professional. “I love Jimmy. We have a great friendship. He’s close to a number of the people at Disney, and again, we’re trying to work through it and make sense of both. What does Jimmy want? What’s the right thing to do, and what’s the right thing for our business?”
Kimmel’s Contract Runs Through May 2027
Kimmel, who has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, signed a one-year extension in December 2025 that pushed the end of his deal from May 2026 to May 2027. In September, a report that the show would end when that contract expires drew a denial from ABC, which called the report inaccurate and said any reports about the show’s future were purely speculative.
Kimmel has previously questioned what late-night shows cost. “These shows started out because they were a way to get high-priced talent for almost free. That was the whole trick,” he has said, adding that “the idea that these shows need to cost $120 million is crazy.”
Walden Says Moana Was Hurt By Its Timing
Walden also addressed the live-action Moana, which opened in U.S. theaters July 10. The film debuted to $43.1 million domestically and has grossed $323.4 million worldwide against a $250 million production budget.
“It’s so competitive right now that you have to have … the right film at the right time, with audiences feeling a certain degree of demand,” Walden said. “I would say our live-action ‘Moana,’ which is excellent, I think it was hurt by the proximity to our second animated version of ‘Moana,’ which came together under unusual circumstances, but premiered about 18 months before this one. So perhaps there was not enough time to create a lot of pent-up demand for another film.”
Moana 2 arrived in November 2024 and finished just over $1 billion worldwide. “Our job is to deliver the highest quality. Try to create content which endures and is going to be of value years and years and years from now. That is what has built this unmatched canon of IP,” Walden added.
Walden’s Screentime conversation also covered Disney’s latest round of job cuts, which she called “extremely painful.”
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