JIMMY KIMMEL AND STEPHEN COLBERT APPEAR ON EACH OTHER’S SHOWS TO TALK LATE-NIGHT COMPETITION. (PHOTO).

 Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert appear on each other’s shows to talk late-night competition

Howard Jones, the ’80s British pop star, was readying a performance of “Things Can Only Get Better,” and celebrity chef Cristiano Petroni had spent the day preparing meatballs and polenta when Jimmy Kimmel learned two weeks ago that ABC planned to take his show off the air.

Kimmel recounted the moment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying it was just after 3 p.m. on September 17 when he received a call from ABC executives. “They say they want to talk to me. This is unusual. They didn’t even know I was doing a show previous to this,” he joked. In a bathroom meeting for privacy, Kimmel said the executives explained their concern about what he might say that night and informed him of their decision to pull the show. “I said, ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ Then there was a vote, and I lost the vote,” he said. He later told his executive producers, including his wife Molly McNearney, that the show was being pulled.

Kimmel admitted he thought the suspension marked the end of his late-night run. “’I’m never coming back on the air.’ That’s really what I thought,” he said. As he headed home, he was trailed by 20 paparazzi cars and two helicopters, and his children reacted to the news with chaos—his daughter offering to sell her Labubus and his son running around naked.

Both Kimmel and Colbert found support from unexpected sources. Colbert said he heard from a high school girlfriend, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, and James Taylor when his show faced cancellation. Kimmel noted Taylor also reached out, joking about a possible “cut and paste” message.

The episode marked another major moment in late-night television, following CBS’s recent axing of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On the night of Kimmel’s appearance on Colbert’s show, Colbert taped Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Brooklyn before Kimmel joined him at the Ed Sullivan Theater—a first-of-its-kind swap in late-night history.

On The Late Show, Kimmel described the experience as an “emotional rollercoaster,” and the hosts reflected on how these events renewed their appreciation for late-night television. Kimmel joked that Colbert’s staff asked if he was hiring, prompting Colbert to quip, “I’ll be Guillermo’s sidekick.”

The conversation turned serious when Colbert asked about the President’s reaction to Kimmel’s suspension. Kimmel said he never imagined a president celebrating the job loss of hundreds of Americans.

Later in the show, Kimmel presented Colbert with gifts, including a Statue of Liberty bong and tequila shots from sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez. Colbert toasted, “To good friends, great jobs and late-night TV.”

Meanwhile, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Brooklyn, Kimmel joked about the show being “what the FCC doesn’t want you to see” and how he and Colbert aimed to “drive the President nuts.” Colbert recounted learning of Kimmel’s suspension via text while taping The Late Show, admitting he initially assumed it was Kimmel’s fault. Colbert also shared the story of his own show’s cancellation, recalling his wife’s joking reaction and how it took multiple takes to announce it to his staff.

The Brooklyn taping also featured Seth Meyers and his brother Josh, who asked Kimmel about the show. “We’re back on the air,” Kimmel replied, adding that he had been rooting for Meyers’ return as well.