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Jimmy Kimmel Takes Two-Month Summer Break; Rosie O'Donnell to Guest-Host

6/19/2026

38 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Kimmel Summer Break

Jimmy Kimmel announced a two-month summer break from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
Tiffany Haddish will start a guest-host rotation the week of July 6, joined by Anthony Anderson, Ike Barinholtz, Colman Domingo, Jelly Roll and Rosie O'Donnell.
Kimmel said Rosie O'Donnell will host for the first time, warned President Donald Trump not to act stupidly, and called her a ‘treat for commander-in-chief’.

Summary

Kimmel Guest Hosts

The summer lineup will stream the day after each episode on Hulu, expanding the show’s digital reach.
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ is produced by 12:05 AM Productions LLC with Kimmelot and 20th Television, airing repeats through the July 4 holiday before new episodes resume.
Ike Barinholtz, Colman Domingo and Rosie O’Donnell will debut as guest hosts, continuing a tradition that began in 2020 with stand-ins such as Chelsea Handler, Martin Short and RuPaul.

History

Historical Context

NBC used guest hosts on The Tonight Show in the 1970s to cover Johnny Carson’s summer break, a strategy that kept ratings steady; Joan Rivers later logged 201 guest-host appearances between 1969 and 1986. Decades later, Jimmy Kimmel Live became the only current late-night program to rotate guest hosts each summer, beginning in 2020 and expanding in 2024, confirming the lasting viability of the model.

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Kimmel Summer Break

Jimmy Kimmel announced a two-month summer break from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
Tiffany Haddish will start a guest-host rotation the week of July 6, joined by Anthony Anderson, Ike Barinholtz, Colman Domingo, Jelly Roll and Rosie O'Donnell.
Kimmel said Rosie O'Donnell will host for the first time, warned President Donald Trump not to act stupidly, and called her a ‘treat for commander-in-chief’.

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