Jimmy Kimmel, Rachel Maddoe and Stephen Motherfucking Colbert are forming their own news show with no advertisers.

Multiple sources from September 2025 report that Rachel Maddow, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel have left their traditional network roles to start an independent newsroom. This new venture emphasizes a format without teleprompters, corporate handlers, or sponsored segments disguised as news, aiming for editorial independence and no advertiser influence. Several news outlets describe the collaboration as combining Maddow's analysis, Colbert's humor, and Kimmel's charisma in a fresh media approach.

However, a fact-check source (Lead Stories) clarifies that they did not launch a newsroom called 'The Independent Desk' together, indicating some misinformation or exaggeration about the exact branding or structure of the project. The involvement of Joy Reid is also noted in one source alongside Maddow and Colbert but not Kimmel. Overall, the core claim that these three personalities are forming an advertiser-free news show is supported by multiple reports, though some details remain unclear or contested.