Howard Stern made a late night appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday, and the veteran radio host and comedian took the opportunity to defend his friend to ABC, playfully promising “hell to pay” if the network didn’t do right by Kimmel.
After a pair of long, winding, comedic stories about his personal life, in what he said is probably his last “TV appearance on any talk show,” Stern turned the spotlight toward his host and the floating rumors that ABC may not renew “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after his current contract expires after the 2026-27 season.
“I have heard many rumors about this show,” Stern said in his Tuesday appearance. “Okay, I don’t know if they’re true or false, but I want to say something to ABC that they are watching right now: There is no man more loyal to this company than this guy.”
“He’s a real human being,” Stern continued, “He’s an emotional and a feeling man.” The comedian then took a few minutes to rib Kimmel before getting back to his point. “There is nobody more loyal than Jimmy Kimmel, and what I mean by that — this is the truth.”
As evidence, Stern pointed to Kimmel’s history of attending network events, including the ad-centric Upfronts, where networks preview their upcoming slate to advertisers.
“For years, I’ve said to him … He goes to these things: ABC has a corporate function where they try to attract advertisers. Every year, he’d go to what they call the Upfronts, right? And I said, ‘Jimmy, why would you go to that? They don’t pay you to do it.’ And you know what he said to me? He said, ‘I go because it’s ABC, and they need me to do it,’” Stern recalled.
“And you’ve gone to every charity event they ever asked you to attend. And let me tell you something. I have gone to no charity events, so it made me feel bad,” he added, getting the laugh, before he continued. “Forget about me. He has done everything for the company, and I hope that they keep that in mind.”
“Oh well, thank you. I appreciate it,” Kimmel said in response, but Stern wasn’t quite done.
“And oh my God, I don’t know about you, but if something goes wrong, oh, is ABC going to have hell to pay,” Stern added as a finisher, turning to the audience and riling them up in cheers. “Am I correct? Are you with me?”
Stern’s comments to the company come after an unusually tense year for Kimmel and ABC. The late-night host was temporarily pulled off the air in September 2025 after his comments about the right-wing response to Charlie Kirk’s death, raising questions of free speech after FCC chair Brendan Carr got involved. That suspension proved temporary, and Kimmel returned after six days, however, the future of his show currently remains in limbo.
Earlier this month, ABC shot down reports that Kimmel’s show would come to an end in 2027, calling those reports “innacurate” and that “any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative.”
Kimmel and ABC are currently in negotiations for another season beyond 2027.
