Credit: Disney/ABCAccording to ABC, late night’s Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has signed on to host a brand-new show on the Disney-owned ABC television network beginning on July 10.
Related: Jimmy Kimmel Fired, Replaced by NFL Legend Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski
Kimmel’s Pre-Late-Night Career
When ABC chose a comedian to host the talk show that would anchor its late-night programming in 2002, no one could have imagined the struggles the former co-host of Comedy Central’s The Man Show and Win Ben Stein’s Money would face or the wild success with which he would become synonymous.
Related: Dwayne Johnson Grabs the Mic and Belts Out His Hit Song From ‘Moana’ on Late-Night TV
Though Kimmel didn’t become the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! until January 2003, he arrived on the scene at ABC with an already-colorful resume. In addition to co-hosting two shows on the Comedy Central network, Kimmel had also worked as the producer on projects like Sports Show with Norm Macdonald and The Andy Milonakis Show.
But long before Kimmel’s face became familiar to television viewers, Kimmel’s voice was familiar to listeners of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas’s station, KUNV, KZZP-FM in Phoenix, Arizona, Seattle’s KZOK-FM, and WRBQ in Tampa, Florida.
As the co-host of The Me and Him Show on KZOK in Seattle, Kimmel and his co-host Kent Voss performed numerous stunts, including one stunt that cost the show one of its biggest advertisers.
Kimmel Makes the Jump From Radio to TV
In 1997, Kimmel finally moved from radio to television after moving to Los Angeles, where he began co-hosting alongside Ben Stein on Comedy Central. By 2002, ABC television execs had taken notice of Kimmel and his string of successful shows.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! premiered on the ABC television network on January 26, 2003, bringing a new late-night talk show to the network. However, shortly following its debut, the show faced multiple challenges. Initial ratings were low, and finding guests to appear on the show proved nearly impossible at times.
More Than 21 Years as Host of ABC’s Late-Night Talk Show
Rather quickly, however, Kimmel was able to find his niche, differentiating himself from his competitors by creating signature segments, including “Mean Tweets,” in which celebrities read aloud unflattering tweets about themselves, and “This Week in Unnecessary Censorship,” which features video clips in which harmless, expletive-free words and phrases are bleeped out.
Over the years, attracting celebrities and other guests has been of little concern for Kimmel, as he has hosted actors and actresses like Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, Ben Affleck, Steve Martin, Julia Roberts, Selena Gomez, and others. Kimmel has even hosted President Joe Biden on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! has continued to rank among the most popular late-night talk shows on television, and the show is currently the longest-standing late-night show still on the air.
But Kimmel’s tenure in late-night television may be coming to an end.
Kimmel to Step Down From His Role as Late-Night Host
For more than a year, talk about Kimmel calling it quits with his role as host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! has made the headlines.
Related: ABC Fires Jimmy Kimmel During Live Broadcast of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
Earlier this month, however, a close friend of Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, who works as an executive producer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, shared insights into Kimmel’s personal life, saying that the couple have plans to step away from the show very soon so they can spend more time with their son, Billy, who underwent his third open-heart surgery in May 2024.
Born in 2017, Billy has a congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of Fallot, a defect comprised of four heart abnormalities that affect blood flow.
Now, ABC has confirmed that Kimmel has signed on to host a new primetime show on the network.
Jimmy Kimmel Signs On to Host a Brand-New Show on ABC
A brand-new show will debut on ABC in July, and Jimmy Kimmel has signed on to host the show, though it’s a bit of a change from Kimmel’s late-night gig, as the new show will air before everyone in the house has gone to bed.
But it’s only brand-new in that it’s a new iteration of a fan-favorite game show that initially debuted on the ABC television network in the United States on August 16, 1999.
The popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a brand-new take on the game. The new format will feature celebrity contestants going for the grand prize against their friends and peers, and all the winnings will be donated to charity.
The show’s premiere episode will feature actor Kel Mitchell and Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson. The duo starred in the films Good Burger (1997) and Good Burger 2 (2023) and will compete against each other for the grand prize on the show. Stars John Mulaney and Nick Kroll will face off in the debut episode of the show as well.
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”
The game show, which allows contestants to get help answering trivia questions with various lifelines, which include the option to “phone a friend,” quickly became a cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences with its dramatic format and huge cash prizes.
As part of the show, contestants answer a series of multiple-choice questions, with each correct answer increasing their potential winnings. The ultimate goal is to answer 15 questions correctly to win the top prize of $1 million.
Over the years, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has been hosted by various celebrities, including Regis Philbin, Meredith Vieira, actor Terry Crews, and comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
Contestants on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? come from diverse backgrounds, and their winnings have ranged from modest amounts to the coveted million-dollar prize.
One of the most memorable contestants was John Carpenter, an agent with the Internal Revenue Service, who became the first person to win the top prize on November 19, 1999. Carpenter’s calm demeanor and clever use of lifelines, especially his famous phone-a-friend call to his father, made his victory an iconic moment in television history.
The show has awarded millions of dollars over its run, creating countless memorable moments and stories of triumph. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? continues to be a beloved fixture in American pop culture, known for its suspenseful gameplay and the potential to change lives with a single correct answer.
The Celebrity Pairings Edition of the Game Show Debuts in July
The brand-new season–and brand-new iteration of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? debuts on ABC on July 10.
This post originally appeared on Disney Dining.