Jimmy Kimmel has extended an offer to Stephen Colbert, the former host of CBS's "The Late Show," to guest host Kimmel's ABC late-night program during Kimmel's summer sabbatical or at any other time.

Kimmel, 58, shared the details of his offer in an interview with Variety, published Wednesday. He indicated that he felt the timing might have been premature, as Colbert's show concluded just two months prior. "Of course, I asked him, and I think it feels premature," Kimmel told the publication.

Colbert, 62, reportedly passed on the offer. However, Kimmel made it clear that the opportunity remains open. "I told him, 'Anytime you want to host, it doesn't matter if it's the summer, I'll gladly step aside,'" Kimmel said.

Colbert wrapped up his 11-season run on "The Late Show" in May. His departure came after CBS announced in the previous year that the show would end in May 2026. At the time, the network cited economic reasons for the decision, though the announcement sparked some controversy, with some interpreting it as politically motivated.

Kimmel's remarks about Colbert come as several guest hosts, including Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, and Colman Domingo, have been filling in for Kimmel during his current summer break. Other notable names slated to host include Anthony Anderson, Rosie O'Donnell, and Jelly Roll.

On the day before Colbert's final broadcast, Kimmel publicly supported his late-night counterpart. He encouraged viewers to tune out CBS as a form of protest against Colbert's show ending. "I think you know how I feel about the fact that they are being pushed out - I hope the people who did the pushing feel ashamed of themselves tonight, although they probably won't," Kimmel said on his May 20 show. "I hope those of you who watch our show will also tune into CBS for the last time. Don't ever watch it again, but watch tomorrow night to show Stephen and our friends at The Late Show a fun farewell."

In recent weeks, Kimmel's own show has seen a significant boost in viewership. Last month, he garnered an average of 3.15 million viewers, marking one of his highest figures in 23 years on air. This represents a 17 percent increase from the previous month's 2.69 million viewers. The demographic of adults aged 18 to 49 also saw a substantial rise, up 109 percent from 0.18 to 0.37, reaching the show's best numbers since April 2020, according to Variety.

When asked if the increase was due to "orphaned Colbert fans" tuning in, Kimmel responded, "I’ve always thought of our show as an orphanage." He also commented on the broader landscape of late-night television, suggesting that its demise is premature. "It’s silly how people go wild about a podcast that’s No. 5, and the numbers still don’t even compare to a television show," Kimmel stated. "There’s still a lot of people watching late night television, and I include the other shows in that. And there are still a lot of people looking at our shows on YouTube the next day, and there’s a lot of people who are interested in what we have to say. They may just may not necessarily be watching it on their TV, but it seems like a little bit of people are coming back to their old friend television."