Last month saw a major shakeup in the world of late-night television. Since then, viewers have been wondering which hosts might soon be leaving their shows. Recently, Kimmel himself has also weighed in on plans for the future. Someone close to him also weighed in on the issue.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Previously Saw A Six-Day Suspension Back In September
Kimmel is known to many for hosting and executive producing his namesake talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which has been running since 2003. The show was previously renewed for a one-year contract this past December.
Recently, viewers have seen a shakeup in the world of late-night television. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired its final episode last month, with CBS announcing that they would be retiring the series format altogether.
Since then, there has been speculation about other late-night shows that could soon be meeting their end. In particular, fans have been wondering about Kimmel’s show, especially after it was briefly suspended back in September.
Recently, Kimmel weighed in on his future with ABC in a conversation with Vulture. Looking back at his own suspension, he shared, “One of the things we talked about when I first got suspended was that I can’t do this show if I’m going to be micromanaged.”
During the conversation, Kimmel took issue with claims that the format of late-night television is simply dying. He shared, “There are far more people watching late-night TV than there ever were,” with him citing the “number of views me and my colleagues get online every day and add in our linear-television ratings.” He felt, “We’re not just dying of natural causes. We’re being poisoned.”
Kimmel Previously Expected His ABC Show To End Back In 2020
While weighing in on The Late Show‘s end, Kimmel noted, “I feel a little bit defeated by it.” Hinting at his own show’s fate, he added, “In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m looking at my own future.”
In fact, Kimmel shared that he originally thought he would already be done with the show by now. He explained, “Six years ago, I told them I thought I was done when Biden was president,” meaning that his show would have ended in 2020.
Meanwhile, speaking with the outlet, Kimmel’s longtime producer, Erin Irwin, shared that Jimmy has “been talking about leaving for a while.” Irwin expressed hope that Kimmel’s show would last until at least the 2028 presidential election. However, she added, “But I don’t know if Jimmy can do it for that long. He’s tired.”
Kimmel also weighed in on his future. He added, “Professionally, I have no idea what I’m going to do after this. Freedom is what I want more than anything. I want to be able to go fishing because the fishing’s good.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.