ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and CBS’s Stephen Colbert guested on each other’s respective Tuesday shows, and the former’s recent suspension was naturally a topic of interest. However, the reason why ABC suspended Kimmel in the first place went unmentioned, but there was still plenty of attacks on “that son of a bitch,” President Trump, and mutual back patting.

On The Late Show, Colbert asked Kimmel, “How did you find out?”

Kimmel responded by unintentionally undermining the idea that the Trump Administration had something to do with his suspension, as he confirmed reports that ABC was concerned he would make the situation worse, “Okay, so it was about 3:00. We tape our show at 4:30. I'm in my office, typing away as I usually do. I get a phone call. It's ABC. They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual. As far as I knew, they didn't even know I was doing a show previous to this. So, I have a lot of people, I have, like, five people who work in my office with me, so the only private place to go is the bathroom, so I go into the bathroom, and I'm on the phone with ABC executives, and they say, ‘Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We're concerned about what you're going to say tonight, and we've decided that the best route is to take the show off the air.’”

After the audience started booing, Kimmel continued, “That's what I said. I started booing. I said, ‘I don't think that's a good idea,’ and they said, ‘Well, we think it's a good idea.’ And then there was a vote, and I lost the vote, and so I put my pants back on, and I walked out to my office, and I called in some of the executive producers and there were about nine people in there, and I said, ‘They're pulling the show off the air’ and I was—my wife said I was whiter than Jim Gaffigan when I came out of there.”

Later, Colbert brought Trump into the conversation, “You started as a radio, you know, disc jockey as you said. When you were, you know, spinning platters and making with the banter. Did you ever think the president of the United States would be celebrating your unemployment?”

Again doing his best to avoid his actual comments, Kimmel replied, “I mean, that son of a bitch, you know, is really unbelievable… I never thought we would have a president like this, and I hope we don't have another president like this again. I never even imagined there would ever be a situation in which the president of our country was celebrating hundreds of Americans losing their jobs. Somebody who took pleasure in that—that, to me, is the absolute opposite of what a leader of this country is supposed to be.”

Over at Jimmy Kimmel Live! Colbert played a behind-the-scenes clip of him reacting to the news that Kimmel was being taken off the air before recalling, “So, there’s no signal in the Ed Sullivan Theater, so it didn't tell me why, there was no rationale given, just that you had been yanked.”

Kimmel wondered, “You figured I did something, right?”

A sarcastic Colbert agreed, “I generally assumed that it was your fault. I know you well enough to do that. So, I went backstage and then I was like, ‘Oh, I can't really tell why it happened, so we’ll talk about it tomorrow,’ and then we did the whole next night—was just about you, and I’ll tell you why.”

After Kimmel thanked Colbert for that, Colbert gave his ode to Kimmel, “That is why I take a moment here to embarrass you, maybe, is that I said on the night that I heard you were coming back, I said on air, and I mean this, is that to know you well is to admire you deeply, and I’m so happy that your show is back on the air. Because we have known each other for over 20 years, but we only really gotten to know each other well the last few years and I just got to catch up on getting to know you because the more I get to know you, the more I admire you as a leader, I know you as a friend, and here is something I did not know, is that you’re funny.”

Of course, Kimmel did do something wrong. He gave credence to the vilest of conspiracy theories about the political affiliation of Charlie Kirk’s assassin, and even when he returned to ABC, he did not address those conspiracies.

Here is a transcript for the September 30-taped shows:

CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

9/30/2025

12:09 AM ET

STEPHEN COLBERT: How did you find out?

JIMMY KIMMEL: Okay, so it was about 3:00. We tape our show at 4:30. I'm in my office, typing away as I usually do. I get a phone call. It's ABC. They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual. As far as I knew, they didn't even know I was doing a show previous to this. So, I have a lot of people, I have, like, five people who work in my office with me, so the only private place to go is the bathroom, so I go into the bathroom, and I'm on the phone with ABC executives, and they say, “Listen, we want to take the temperature down. We're concerned about what you're going to say tonight, and we've decided that the best route is to take the show off the air.”

[Audience Boos]

That's what I said. I started booing. I said, “I don't think that's a good idea” and they said "Well, we think it's a good idea," and then there was a vote, and I lost the vote, and so I put my pants back on, and I walked out to my office—

COLBERT: Yes.

KIMMEL: -- and I called in some of the executive producers and there were about nine people in there, and I said, "They're pulling the show off the air" and I was—my wife said I was whiter than Jim Gaffigan when I came out of there.

 …

COLBERT: You started as a radio, you know, disc jockey—

KIMMEL: Yeah. 

COLBERT: — as you said. When you were, you know, spinning platters and making with the banter—

KIMMEL: Yeah.

COLBERT: -- did you ever think the president of the United States would be celebrating your unemployment? 

KIMMEL: I mean, that son of a bitch, you know, is really unbelievable.

COLBERT: Mr. Son of a bitch. Mr. Son of a bitch.

KIMMEL: I mean Mr.—His royal— Yeah, see no, I never thought we would have a president like this, and I hope we don't have another president like this again. I never even imagined there would ever be a situation in which the president of our country was celebrating hundreds of Americans losing their jobs. Somebody who took pleasure in that—that to me, is the absolute opposite of what a leader of this country is supposed to be.

***

ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!

10/1/2025

12:09 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: I was just finishing my show. When you’re texting, I didn't get it from you. I was on stage. I just finished the show. It was Wednesday night, we had a pretty good show. I was about to say, “Good night and join us tomorrow for Pete Barbutti and Adrienne Barbeau” or, like, whoever my guest was the next tonight and—Victor Bono—and some Victor Bono fans over there, thank you.

And my executive producer comes over and he goes, “Hey, I just got this text from Kerry, she thinks I’m right to show it to you” and that’s how I found out in front of the audience with my mic up, so I brought a clip and I’ve just set it up.

COLBERT [BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE ON THE LATE SHOW]: Is there something we need to know. Did we land on the moon?

PRODUCER: It’s crazy. Kerry told me that you—

COLBERT: Okay. Jimmy Kimmel's show has been pulled indefinitely by ABC. Wow. Wow. Wait. Hold on one second. I'll be right back. I want to find out what this is about. I'll be right back.

COLBERT [LIVE]: So, there’s no signal in the Ed Sullivan Theater, so it didn't tell me why, there was no rationale given, just that you had been yanked.

KIMMEL: You figured I did something stupid, right?

COLBERT: I generally assumed that it was your fault. I know you well enough to do that. So, I went backstage and then I was like, “Oh, I can't really tell why it happened, so we’ll talk about it tomorrow,” and then we did the whole next night—was just about you, and I’ll tell you why.

KIMMEL: And I appreciate that very much by the way.

COLBERT: Oh, it was our pleasure. Even the other guy came back from The Colbert Report. He wanted to show up.

KIMMEL: I saw him.

COLBERT: He wanted to say a few things. That is why I take a moment here to embarrass you, maybe, is that I said on the night that I heard you were coming back, I said on air, and I mean this, is that to know you well is to admire you deeply, and I’m so happy that your show is back on the air.

KIMMEL: Thank you.

COLBERT: Because we have known each other for over 20 years, but we only really gotten to know each other well the last few years—

KIMMEL: Yeah. Yeah.

COLBERT: — and I just got to catch up on getting to know you because the more I get to know you, the more I admire you as a leader, I know you as friend, and here is something I did not know, is that you’re funny.