Jimmy Kimmel says late-night shows might not exist in 10 years

Jimmy Kimmel hosts “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for 21 years, but he’s not really sure how much longer a late night talk show will last. In the latest episode of Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson Podcast ‘Politics’Kimmel looked to the future, saying, “I don’t know if there will be any late-night television shows on network TV in ten years.”

“Maybe there will be one, but it won’t be many,” he added. “There’s a lot to watch and now people can watch anything at any time, they have all these streaming services. It used to be that Johnny Carson was the only one on at 11:30 so everyone would watch and then David Letterman’s turn was after Johnny so people would watch those two shows but now there are so many options.

Not only are there so many options, but Kimmel argued that streaming platforms like YouTube and social media channels that break up late-night episodes into clips for viewing after the episode airs have also limited the urgency of live tuning.

“Perhaps more importantly, the fact that people can easily watch your monologue online the next day really negates the need to watch it when it’s on the air,” he said. “Once people stop watching it when it’s on the air, networks will stop paying for its production.”

Whenever Kimmel goes off the air and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ends his run, he is fully aware that he will have a hard time getting his bearings for the next gig.

“I’m going to have a hard time when it’s over. It worries me,” he said. “That’s part of the reason I keep going. Every time I think this is going to be my last contract and then I end up signing another contract because I’m scared of that day, that Monday after my last show, where it’s like, ‘Okay, what am I going to do now? ?’ There aren’t many options for late-night hosts after the shows are over. People think of you as a late night talk show host, it’s not like you’re suddenly going to be starring in movies.”

Kimmel has been on a summer hiatus from hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The show has utilized guest hosts including Kathryn Hahn and Kumail Nanjiani during these summer months, with Kimmel expected to return in the fall.