Is This the End of Jimmy Kimmel? Kimmel Hints at Leaving His Late-Night Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been on air since 2003 and has 22 seasons. The titular host is well-loved for many reasons, including his humor, comedic timing, and stage presence. However, after almost 21 years of being on air, Jimmy Kimmel thinks it may be time to give himself a break.
The charming television host recently confessed that he’s been thinking about leaving his hosting gig on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He added that his current contract could be his last with ABC.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he revealed, “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.” He added, “I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough.”
This is not the first time Kimmel has made a public statement about his “last” show. On the Strike Force Five, a podcast co-hosted by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, the comedian shared that he had considered leaving. However, things didn’t work out.
The TV show host also revealed how the idea came to him. Apparently, he had been preparing for his hosting gig at the Academy Awards in March when the thought crossed his mind.
“Wednesday night, I was very tired and I had all these scripts to go through—I had to revise and rewrite all these pitch ideas for the Oscars—and I was literally nodding off onto my computer. In those moments, I think, ‘I cannot wait until my contract is over,’” he recalled. “It’s hard to yearn for it when you’re doing it,” He continued, “Then, I take the summer off or I go on strike, and you start going, ‘Yeah, I miss the fun stuff.’”
When asked what he had planned for his retirement, the late-night host joked that he might learn Italian or learn to play the harmonica or go fly-fishing, among other things.
“[My future is] very busy — it’s funny, whenever I think of what I’m going to do when I stop working, it all involves more work,” he admitted. Kimmel also said that he doesn’t “know exactly what” he’ll do, but there are still a lot of things he wants to accomplish.
“It might not be anything that anyone other than me is aware of. I have a lot of hobbies—I love to cook, I love to draw. I imagine myself learning to do sculptures. I know that when I die, if I’m fortunate enough to die on my own terms in my own bed, I’m going to think, ‘Oh, I was never able to get to this, and I was never able to get to that,’” he continued. “I just know it about myself.”
No matter what Kimmel decides, we hope we can see more of him—even if for brief moments. His huge fan following isn’t gonna let him off the hook that easy.
