Jimmy Kimmel will not air a new episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday, May 21, the night Stephen Colbert’s final “The Late Show” episode airs on CBS. Multiple outlets report that Kimmel confirms the scheduling change personally and frames it as a gesture of respect for Colbert. Instead of a first-run program in Kimmel’s usual timeslot, ABC will air a repeat episode that night.
According to the reports, Kimmel’s show continues to air new episodes Monday through Wednesday of that week, then goes dark on Thursday. In related late-night scheduling solidarity, Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” also does not air a new episode on May 21; NBC instead schedules a rerun for that date. The final “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” episode marks the end of Colbert’s 11-season run on CBS after CBS canceled the program last year.
Overall, the changes affect only May 21, with both hosts maintaining their standard schedules immediately before and after that date.
