Jimmy Kimmel Live! It has been reported that he is planning to make a major change in the middle of one changing late night television scene.
The talk show of the ABC, presented by Jimmy Kimmelwill reduce musical performances to twice a week, he said The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, January 6.
The medium reported that the show’s music producer, Jim Pittindustry partners reported the news in recent weeks, though no reason was given for the move.
The show isn’t expected to cut the length, per The Hollywood ReportR.
Us Weekly Kimmel’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
Late night television has seen big changes in recent years, with NBC Late Night with Seth Meyeris dropping his house band fronted by Fred Armisen in 2024 and CBS directly canceling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last year
Kimmel’s show has also seen its fair share of challenges, including one temporary suspension in September 2025 about the comments the comedian made following the right-wing political activist Charlie KirkThe deadly shooting that same month.
“We hit new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points,” Kimmel said on his show after Kirk’s shooting, drawing criticism from the right.
Amid growing pressure from members of the president donald trumpManagement and television station owners for the show to be taken off the air or canceled, ABC suspended the show for six nights. At the time, local network affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group refused to air the show.
When he returned to his late-night slot days later, Kimmel said, “It was never my intention to make light of the killing of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
On Sunday, January 4, Kimmel, 58, won Best Talk Show at the Critics Choice Awards 2026 and reflected on his show’s rocky period in the fall.
“It was almost a near-death experience for me,” he told reporters in the winners’ room after his win. “Of course, not literally, but I felt a little like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn watching their own funeral, when all these things happened.”
“To be here and see people react to it not only in a positive way, but almost desperately, we’re like, ‘Oh boy, when they come after comics, that’s when we draw the line,'” he added. “We are very grateful that they drew the line for us.”
Kimmel and his talk show were also rocked in November 2025 by the death of Cleto Escobedo IIIthe leader of the show’s house band and childhood friend of the comedian. Kimmel paid tribute to Escobedo in his opening monologue about the episode immediately following his death, before taking a short break from the show.
Kimmel said on the Nov. 11 episode that he’s “had to do some tough monologues” over two decades of hosting. Jimmy Kimmel Live!“but this one is the hardest, because last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was too young to go.”
“It’s not fair,” Kimmel said through tears. “He was the nicest person, humble, kind and always funny.”