Kimmel to Air Rerun on Colbert's Late Show Finale

Jimmy Kimmel will air a rerun of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday, May 21, forgoing a new episode to honor the finale of Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" on CBS.

ABC confirmed the decision, noting that Kimmel's show will broadcast fresh episodes earlier in the week before the repeat. Kimmel told LateNighter he made the choice out of respect for Colbert, mirroring a similar gesture in 2015 when he aired a rerun during David Letterman's final "Late Show." On that occasion, Kimmel explained he had too much respect for Letterman to compete for viewers during his sendoff.

The move underscores the camaraderie among late-night hosts, who have collaborated publicly in recent years. On Monday, Kimmel will join Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver as guests on "The Late Show," reprising their "Strike Force Five" group from a 2023 podcast that supported crews during the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Letterman, Colbert's predecessor from 1993 to 2015, is scheduled to appear on May 14. Other final-week guests include former President Barack Obama, John Krasinski, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pedro Pascal, Tom Hanks and musical acts like The Strokes and The Avett Brothers. Special...