One of the most popular shows on ABC is the late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” which broadcasts from the iconic El Capitan Entertainment Centre on Hollywood Boulevard.  The show features a diverse lineup of guests that includes celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human-interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band.

Recently, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times to promote the upcoming Academy Awards show, Jimmy Kimmel was asked about his future as a talk show host, to which he hinted that he might be stepping away from the desk soon, 

“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.”

Jimmy took over the show over twenty years ago, and it is the longest-running late-night talk show on the network, with over 3500 episodes. 

During the interview, he also explained that he has questioned ending the show before, but also misses it when he is not doing it.

“It’s hard to yearn for it when you’re doing it.  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.’ But then, I take the summer off or I go on strike, and you start going, ‘Yeah, I miss the fun stuff.’ ”

This isn’t the first time he has said publically about retiring from the talk show, as during the writer’s strikes, on the “Strike Force Five” podcast, which featured the other late-night talk show hosts, 

“As you know, I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started.  And now I realize, ‘Oh yeah, it’s kinda nice to work.’ When you are working, you think about not working.”

While talk shows still pull in audiences, as with most traditional linear shows, viewership is declining, as audiences shift to streaming services.  Clips from the show are published on online platforms like YouTube, but these videos make much less than on traditional television.  With the growth of YouTube over the last decade, the concept of a talk show doesn’t have the same impact as it used to have.

There are still a couple more years left on Jimmy’s contract, so he isn’t going anywhere yet, but this comment by Jimmy does leave many to question if this is part of an open negotiation tactic to sign a new contract with ABC.    With Disney drastically cutting back on how much it spends creating original general entertainment content and with declining viewership, ABC might go in a different direction and Jimmy is just setting expectations in advance.

Recently, Jimmy Kimmel has made headlines of his own, following a run-in over comments by New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show and being sued by former congressman George Santos over Cameo videos being broadcasted on Jimmy’s show.

New episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” air on weeknights on ABC and are released the day after on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+.

Do you think “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” should come to an end?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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