Jimmy Kimmel’s Retirement: What’s Next for Late-Night TV?
The rumor mill is working overtime as speculation about who might replace late-night host Jimmy Kimmel continues to gain traction. With his current contract with Disney-owned ABC slated to end next year, Kimmel has been open about considering retirement.
“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,” Kimmel told the Los Angeles Times in an interview back in February.
Kimmel, who has been the face of his ABC program since 2003, admitted that his commitment to the show has been wavering. He confessed that the preparation for his Oscars hosting gig last year was particularly taxing and sparked thoughts of stepping away from the spotlight.
“It’s hard to yearn for it when you’re doing it,” the Jimmy Kimmel Live host told the outlet at the time. “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.
However, he also acknowledged that despite the stress and fatigue, there are aspects of his job that he misses during breaks. This ongoing internal struggle paints a clear picture of a man contemplating his future in late-night television.
If Kimmel does decide to hang up his late-night boots, it seems there might already be a successor waiting in the wings. Longtime ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has expressed interest in stepping into Kimmel’s shoes.
“I am interested in doing late night,” Smith told Sean Hannity in a recent interview. “I would love to be the heir apparent to Jimmy Kimmel. I believe I could do it.”
Smith promises a fresh perspective and an unbiased approach, assuring that he would listen to all sides and not favor any one ideology.
According to Outkick, ESPN insiders believe that if Smith were to venture into late-night television, he would likely host a different evening program on ABC. Smith has also stated his willingness to hand over his signature program, “First Take,” to co-host Shannon Sharpe in the coming years.
Final Thoughts
The potential retirement of Jimmy Kimmel and subsequent replacement by Stephen A. Smith could signal a significant shift in the landscape of late-night television. As conservatives, we should keep a close eye on these developments and their potential impact on our media landscape.
h/t: Trending Politics Conservative News and Commentary
Make Kimmel WH Press Sectry OK for Biden
Any idiot could do his job Look at the idiot they found to do it