Trump and Kimmel have shared some heated exchanges in the past. At the end of his hosting gig at the 96th Annual Academy Awards in March 2024, Kimmel took a moment to read a review of his performance that Trump had posted on his Truth Social account.

Fans, political figures and fellow late-night hosts seemed stunned Thursday night when comedian Stephen Colbert announced that CBS would be ending The Late Show in May 2026, with many questioning what pushed the network and its parent company, Paramount Global, to make the decision.

Even CNN’s Brian Stelter, no fan of Trump, said as much, writing: “The bottom has indeed been falling out of the late-night TV business model for several years now. Audience fragmentation and digital competition have led to a decline in ad revenue across the board. One insider described it as ‘cratering’ at CBS.”