Why Is Jimmy Kimmel Missing From ‘Live!’? His Absence Explained
Stephen Colbert may have returned to his late-night show after his summer break on Monday, July 14, but Jimmy Kimmel‘s vacation is just getting started.
Fans of the ABC talk show may have noticed that Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s titular host has been absent from the show over the past few weeks. The answer to the question of Kimmel’s absence is simple: He’s taking his annual summer break from the series.
“Tonight is my last show until Labor Day. I’m going to be off for the summer,” he explained on the show’s June 19 episode before joking. “I don’t want to go either. They put it in my contract: I have to go to a fat camp every summer. The truth is I’m going to spend the bulk of my summer at the Newark airport this year.”
He continued, “I’m going to be gone for the next couple of months, but rest assured if Donald Trump does anything monumentally crazy or anything that requires an emergency response, I will be in a canoe, ignoring it.”
Diego Luna and Anthony Anderson were the first celebs to take over hosting duties in Kimmel’s absence. Comedian Chris Distefano made his Jimmy Kimmel Live! hosting debut on Monday, July 14, and will lead the show again on Tuesday, July 15. Country singer Jelly Roll will round out the week as the show’s host on Wednesday, July 16, and Thursday, July 17.
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“It’s an honor to be guest hosting, and it’s, like, mind-blowing to me that Jimmy just lets people do this,” Distefano joked during his Monday night monologue. “I mean, this is a multi-million dollar property for ABC, and Jimmy’s just like, ‘Hey, Chris! You look like a guy that might let a slur fly on national television. Want to give it a whirl? Here you go!’ So, sorry if one slips.”
Distefano went on to note that he was “with Jimmy at his house this weekend,” adding, “Yeah, that’s right. Jimmy’s not even out of town right now! You thought, ‘Oh, ’cause there’s a guest host, he must be in Fiji learning how to surf.’ But no. He’s around the corner watching Judge Judy in his Costco underpants.”
Many viewers were excited about Distefano’s TV gig and praised his hosting abilities. “Appreciate Jimmy for bringing out people who aren’t really mainstream,” one fan wrote in the YouTube comments of Distefano’s monologue. “Haven’t heard of the guy before, but I love his new NYC energy, off to a great start.”
Another user commented, “No way…Chrissy Chaos hosting a major late-night talk show?? WE DID IT!!!” One user posted, “Best episode I have seen in years. Killer stand in!”
Other upcoming guest hosts include Nicole Byer, Alan Cumming, Fortune Feimster, and Kumail Nanjiani. Kimmel’s exact return date is unknown, though Labor Day this year lands on Monday, September 1.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35 pm ET/PT, ABC
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C
Come back Jimmy,the show is not the same
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Jimmy I don’t like using curse words but will you get yourself back on the show 🥺
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O
I can't wait for Jimmy to come back. I haven't found any of the guest hosts to be to my liking. Hurry back Jimmy!
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We need you cut up trump, hurry!
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Maybe he’ll hook up with Colbert in 2026 for a Very lengthy vacation !!
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I would rather see reruns than the people who host now. Mr. Anderson acts like he’s king of late night. I can’t stand him!!!!!
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come back jimmie
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Let Jimmy rest. We know he'll come back to us soon. (But I miss him too.)
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Repeating guest hosts 3or4 times is a bit much, there should be be more visiting hosts, if Jimmy is going to be gone this long
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Hurry back Jimmy!
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just saw the new host bubble butting her new guest HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHugh
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I loved Diego, but none of the rest! Can't wait for Jimmy to return!
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Jimmey Jimmey Jimmey, AAJA AAJA AAJA
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