Jimmy Kimmel Hints at Leaving His Long-Standing Role as Host of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

Jimmy Kimmel, the renowned host of the Emmy Award-winning ABC late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has recently dropped a hint that his tenure in the spotlight may be approaching its conclusion. Amidst its 19th successful season, the show has consistently attracted some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, cementing Kimmel's status as a household name. However, in a refreshingly candid interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kimmel opened up about the possibility of bidding farewell to his late-night gig.

Kimmel stated, "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. 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. It's hard to yearn for it when you're doing it." Kimmel stated last summer that he had been seriously considering retirement until the Writers Guild of America strike started, at which point he changed his mind.

Kimmel seems unclear about what he would do next, stating, "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. 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. I just know it about myself."

The 96th Academy Awards ceremony will be hosted by Kimmel, for the fourth time. In the years 2017, 2018, and 2022, he served as host. As many of you may recall, the well-known La La Land and Moonlight best picture mishap happened at the 2017 Oscars. The 2023 Oscars saw a spike in viewership as it had an average audience of 18.8 total million viewers, a 13% rise from the previous year. Kimmel hosted the ceremony last year, which appeared to delight fans. Kimmel addressed the controversial Will Smith slap last year; prior to the live program, he declared he would lead with the topic at hand, as per The Blast. Kimmel announced his retirement in September of 2022, following his show's three-year renewal by ABC.