ABC has denied reports that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ is set to end after 24 years on air, calling reports about the show’s future “purely speculative,” according to E! News.
“This information is inaccurate,” an ABC Entertainment spokesperson told E! News on September 8. “Any reports about the future of the show at this point are purely speculative.”
E! News also reached out to Kimmel’s representative for comment but has not received a response.
Kimmel, 58, has hosted ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ since its debut in 2003. In 2022, he signed a three-year deal that extended the show through 2027, although the comedian has previously spoken about his uncertainty over continuing with the programme.
During an episode of the ‘Strike Force Five’ podcast in 2023, Kimmel revealed that he had seriously considered retiring around the time of the Hollywood strikes.
“As you know, I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” he said. “And now I realize, ‘Oh yeah, it’s kinda nice to work,’” as per the outlet.
Kimmel also joked about his changing thoughts on retirement, saying, “I’m Tom Brady without any rings or any fingers.”
More recently, Kimmel’s wife Molly McNearney, who serves as co-head writer and executive producer of the show, said she would support him if he chose to step away.
“I would be happy to be done with the show and end it in a great way and do my own next thing,” McNearney said on the August 24 episode of ‘Armchair Expert.’ “But I do care deeply about that show and the people who work there, and I think the voice is really important right now.”
She added that the possibility of ending the show also had an appeal for their family life.
“It definitely appeals to me, for the nervous system of the household, but I also feel Jimmy has like a fly rod in one hand and like a torch in the other right now,” McNearney said. “It’s like he deserves to go out there and just be on the river and relax,” according to E! News.
Source: Khaleej Times