Jimmy Kimmel Celebrates Milestone Amidst Live Show Ending Speculation
Jimmy Kimmel marked the achievement of 4,000 episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! shortly after a report surfaced suggesting that the late-night program was set to conclude after 25 seasons.
“That’s a lot of episodes. According to the White House, perhaps too many,” Kimmel, 58, humorously remarked during his monologue on Tuesday, September 8, monologue. “This show premiered after the Super Bowl back in January 2003. Some claimed we wouldn’t last this long. There were even those who tried to use the power of the FCC to unjustly ensure we didn’t.”
The comedian added, “But we did it the hard way, Brendan, and we’re still standing!”
Kimmel was alluding to FCC chair Brendan Carr, who had previously urged ABC to take action against him for comments made regarding the death of Charlie Kirk.
Despite a temporary suspension of his show on September 17, 2025, Kimmel was back on the air within a week.
In his Tuesday monologue, Kimmel targeted President Donald Trump and discussed some of his major headlines from the summer.
“Donald Trump and I share one thing: We’ve both achieved nothing over the summer,” he remarked. “It’s remarkable how much foolishness they manage to produce every single day. I step away for just one summer, and he does enough wild stuff for an entire ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ parody.”
Kimmel’s latest show aired soon after reports claimed that the 25th season of Jimmy Kimmel Live!—which debuted on ABC that Tuesday night—would conclude with his final episode airing in May 2027. The network later denied these claims.
“This information is inaccurate,” an ABC Entertainment representative told Us on Tuesday. “Any speculation regarding the future of the show at this moment is purely conjecture.”
Earlier this summer, Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, discussed her husband’s eventual retirement.
“It certainly appeals to me for the household’s peace of mind,” McNearney, 48, expressed during the August 24 episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “I feel like Jimmy is juggling a fishing rod in one hand and a torch in the other. He deserves to spend time outdoors, enjoying the river and relaxing, but I also want him to keep pushing forward. I feel a strong need for him not to give up because what he’s doing is incredibly significant right now.”
The co-head writer and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! added, “But as his spouse, I genuinely wish he could step away from the show to unwind.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.
