Jimmy Kimmel's role as host will be filled by someone else
Jimmy Kimmel will be taking a break from hosting his late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! after testing positive for COVID-19. The show itself, however, will continue, with a replacement host acting in his stead. Kimmel announced his diagnosis, the source, and his plans on Monday.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is into its 19th season and features new nightly guests. When Kimmel announced he would be absent as host, Monday’s episode was to feature Tom Cruise; Iliza Shlesinger. The next episode also featured Iliza along with Mike Myers. Other guests include Kevin Hart and Ewan McGregor.
On May 2, Kimmel took to social media to announce he tested positive for COVID-19. “Our daughter brought us covid (even though we specifically asked her not to),” he revealed. “All feeling fine, I am double vaxxed and boosted but the show must not go on.”
To do this, he announced his temporary replacement. The tweet continues, “Apologies to @TomCruise & @iliza and thanks to Mike Birbiglia @birbigs who’ll be filling in for me starting tomorrow night.” Mike Birbiglia, 43, is a fellow comedian who has won awards at the Sundance and Nantucket film festivals.
In addition to Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon have tested positive for COVID-19 recently. Colbert was out for a month and returned the same Monday Kimmel had to adjust course, after Colbert had to also cancel an episode following his positive diagnosis. Kimmel stepping down is only temporary, though the host, who held this role with ABC since 2003, has contemplated retiring in the past, in both 2017 and 2019. However, it has been reported ABC made an attractive case for continuing another three years through 2022.
After Kimmel quickly went with a replacement host, Birbiglia replied to the announcement, “I must be the first person to ever deplane a Southwest Airlines flight and find out they’re guest-hosting a late night talk show. Sending love to the Kimmels. See you on the TV tomorrow, friends.” Over on Instagram, Birbiglia added he is “honored to sit in.” He will be hosting guests Hannah Einbinder and Kevin Hart on May 5. Though there is no official word on when the late-night host will be back, he plans on continuing his show as long as it stays fresh, saying, “I think this job is a grind, and best-case scenario, a marathon. I want to go out on my own terms. If I ever feel like we’re repeating ourselves, I think it’s a good indication that it’s time.”
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