Jimmy Kimmel Hints He May Exit Late Night After Current Contract Ends: ‘Seems Like Enough’
The face of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is starting to consider moving on from his ABC late night home.
During an interview with the LA Times, Jimmy Kimmel revealed that last Wednesday he was having a difficult night balancing scripts for his show and pitches for the 2024 Oscars, which he’s scheduled to host.
“I was literally nodding off onto my computer. In those moments, I think, ‘I cannot wait until my contract is over,'” Kimmel said in an article published on Tuesday. “But then, I take the summer off or I go on strike, and you start going, ‘Yeah, I miss the fun stuff.'”
The late night host then went on to say, “I think this is my final contract.” He clarified that people are likely laughing at him because every time he thinks he’s done with “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “it turns out not to be the case.”
“I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough,” Kimmel said.
Representative for ABC and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Kimmel has come a long way from passing George Clooney a bottle of vodka and serving drinks to his audience members, the memorable way “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” began. Prior to creating and hosting the series that bears his name, Kimmel was best known for his radio career as well as his involvement in Comedy Central’s “The Man Show.” That changed in 2003 when ABC launched its own late night entry, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Out of his current competitors, Kimmel has been in the game the longest. At 21 years, it’s not even a competition. This year “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” will celebrate their 10-year anniversaries. As for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” 2024 will mark its ninth year on the air.
Kimmel even has Colbert beat when it comes to combined hosting years. Accounting for the nine years of “The Colbert Report,” Colbert has spent 18 years altogether hosting a late night talk show. That impressive number is still three years fewer than Kimmel.
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