Kimmel Announces Replacement Host As He Takes 2-Month Break
In a move that perfectly encapsulates the one-sided world of late-night television, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel announced he is stepping away from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a two-month summer break.
So, who will be temporarily hosting his already left-leaning show?
Longtime President Donald Trump critic Rosie O’Donnell will be one of his guest hosts.
The announcement, delivered with the usual smug wink at the White House, underscores why millions of Americans have tuned out the coastal comedy elite.
On a recent episode, Kimmel revealed the hiatus and joked that he hoped President Trump “doesn’t do anything stupid” while he’s gone.
As a “special treat for our commander-in-chief,” he said he asked O’Donnell – one of Trump’s most vocal and unhinged adversaries – to step in and “keep the hits coming.”
Guest hosts will begin rotating as early as the week of July 6, with O’Donnell’s stint reportedly starting around mid-August.
O’Donnell, fresh off various feuds and known for her insane anti-conservative rants, represents the same tired formula: celebrity lectures wrapped in “comedy” that only appeals to one side of the aisle.
Conservative host Megyn Kelly ripped into Kimmel for choosing a “litany of left-wing comedians” to step in for him as guest hosts this summer.
Kelly also tore into several of the other temporary hosts that will take over the show, including Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson, and Jelly Roll.
“And, as a special treat for our commander-in-chief, I asked one of his all-time favorites, Rosie O’Donnell, to be here to keep the hits coming,” Kimmel added of the former View co-host and frequent Donald Trump critic.
Kelly tore into Kimmel’s selection of replacement hosts on the latest episode of her eponymous SiriusXM podcast, reserving choice words for O’Donnell.
“Jimmy Kimmel’s going on vacay for two months. Do you have a two-month vacay? Probably not. Do you have 30 acres in Martha’s Vineyard? Probably not… And guess who he has sub-hosting for him? It’s a litany of left-wing comedians, most of whom you don’t know very well because he’s worried about his job security,” Kelly said.
“So, he’s got to find people who are lesser than he is. Um, but none are more notable than the next person I’m going to show you, who actually gave an interview recently to Jim Acosta,” Kelly continued.
Kelly then played a clip of O’Donnell telling CNN’s former White House correspondent that Kamala Harris had actually beaten Trump in the 2024 election.
“And I think that we’re going to find all this out,” O’Donnell said, pushing a blatantly false conspiracy.
“It’s going to come out. And I’m not the first person to say this. There are all these researchers who were saying it. I read it online again today,” O’Donnell added at the time.
In a mocking tone, Kelly added, “I was told by some reliable sources that election denialism is wrong and basically makes you an insurrectionist or a supporter.
“We have real questions about whether Rosie will be offering bits like this speculative questioning she gave to us a year or so ago,” the former Fox News journalist said.
“Wonder if she’s going to be bringing this up to Jimmy’s audience, which is ever dwindling,” Kelly added.
Kelly further ridiculed O’Donnell’s recent update on her cold sore, saying, “So, MAGA gave her herpes, and now she’s guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel. Uh, note to the guests, don’t get too close. Do not do the hello kiss when you arrive on stage.”
O’Donnell fled to Ireland in January 2025 after Trump’s re-election but has returned to the U.S. several times in recent months to visit family and attend the 2026 Tony Awards.
She takes over hosting duties beginning August 17, and Kimmel is expected to return in early September.
