A series of guest hosts on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has confused audiences over when and if Kimmel will return.
Kimmel has hosted the ABC talk show since 2003. It runs year-round and features topical comedic bits, various musical performances, and a myriad of celebrity interviews.
However, over the last few weeks, the TV funnyman has been noticeably absent from the TV mainstay that bares his name, with guest hosts like Lamorne Morris, Anthony Anderson, Kumail Nanjiani, and Kathryn Hahn filling his seat while he is away.
Where Did Jimmy Kimmel Go?
There is some confusion amongst TV audiences over where Jimmy Kimmel has gone and when he may return to Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Starting June 24, Kimmel kicked off its summer run, with its comedic namesake handing off hosting duties to celebrities like Kumail Nanjiani and Kathryn Hahn.
This is a common practice at Jimmy Kimmel Live! where Kimmel offers celebrities the chance to host the show while he takes an extended summer vacation.
The arrangement started in 2020, as Kimmel welcomes in "a cavalcade of very kind and capable people [to fill in]" (via Variety).
Over the years, big names like Brie Larson have hosted the late-night staple.
It allows the network to continue producing episodes of the series throughout the year (even while Kimmel is on vacation) instead of taking the typical summer hiatus of talk shows like this.
Fans looking for more of Kimmel over the summer months can watch Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, which Kimmel hosts. This was made possible because the hit game show revival, which features celebrities taking on the TV trivia gauntlet, was entirely pre-recorded.
Kimmel will return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Labor Day (Monday, September 2), returning to the show's regular schedule.
That is not to say the much-celebrated late-night host will do his show forever. Kimmel only has two more years left on his contract.
On his run on the show potentially coming to an end in 2026, Kimmel told The LA Times, "I think this is my final contract:"
"I think this is my final contract. I hate to even say it, because everyone’s laughing at me now — each time I think that, and then it turns out to be not the case. I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough."
Several guest hosts, including Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, and Lamorne Morris, are still set to take over the show this summer.
New episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! air on ABC weeknights at 11:30 p.m. ET.
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