Jimmy Kimmel is going on a break. Here's who will be filling in
Jimmy Kimmel is going on a break. Here's who will be filling in
Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY Mon, June 22, 2026 at 9:29 PM UTC
441
Jimmy Kimmel is going on a voluntary summer break and a star-studded lineup will be taking over hosting duties on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" until he returns.
The late-night host signed off from "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday, June 18, telling audiences he will be "taking the next two months off – this time voluntarily." The joke in the opening monologue was referencing his weeklong suspension last fall following controversial remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Here's what we know about Kimmel's break and who will be filling in for him.
Why is Jimmy Kimmel taking a break?
Kimmel told audiences he is going on a two-month summer break during which a "potent group of hosts" will be filling in for him.
Summer breaks are not unusual for Kimmel, who has been taking every summer off since 2020 after including it in his contract, Deadline reported. While guest hosts have stepped in for Kimmel during this time, no shows took place in the summer of 2023 due to labor and writer strikes in Hollywood.
Kimmel also signed off last year with jokes: "Tonight, is my last show until Labor Day, I'm going to be off for the summer. I don't want to go either, they put it in my contract, I have to go to fat camp every summer ... 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."
Last year's guest hosts included Anthony Anderson, Kumail Nanjiani, Nicole Byer, Chris Distefano, Fortune Feimster, Alan Cumming and Jelly Roll.
Who is guest-hosting during Jimmy Kimmel's 2026 break?
ABC, in a news release, said Tiffany Haddish "will lead things off, hosting the week of July 6" with the rest of the guest hosts following through the summer. The show, meanwhile, will be on hiatus for the next two weeks in re-runs, before the guest hosts take over, an ABC spokesperson said.
The following famous faces have been announced as guest hosts during Kimmel's hiatus:
Advertisement
Tiffany Haddish (kicking things off July 6)
Colman Domingo
Ike Barinholtz
Anthony Anderson
Jelly Roll
Colman Domingo and Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
It is not known if the show will have more guest hosts other than the ones listed and ABC did not offer any additional information.
Is Rosie O' Donnell going on Kimmel?
Kimmel on the show also said he's also asked Rosie O'Donnell to be here "as a special treat for our commander-in-chief."
"All I ask in return, Mr. President, is that you don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, OK?" Kimmel said.
O'Donnell and Kimmel have both been longtime critics of President Donald Trump, who has feuded with each of them publicly. Last year, Trump threatened to revoke O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship, while in April, the president called yet again for ABC to fire Kimmel.
How to watch 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET PT on ABC and streams on Hulu the next day.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
This story has been with new information.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is filling in for Jimmy Kimmel as he goes on break? See list
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
