Molly McNearney, the co-head writer and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, said she would welcome her husband Jimmy Kimmel's retirement from late-night television, even as he continues to weigh the show's future.
McNearney, who has been married to Kimmel for 13 years and shares two children with him, Jane, 12, and Billy, 9, discussed the possibility on the August 24 episode of the podcast Armchair Expert. "It definitely appeals to me for the nervous system of the household," she said.
McNearney describes conflicting feelings
McNearney, 48, said Kimmel currently seems torn between stepping away and continuing his work. "I feel like Jimmy has a fly rod in one hand and a torch in the other right now," she said. "It's like he deserves to go out there and just be on the river and relax, but I also want him to keep fighting. And I feel this sense of desire to not quit because I think what he's doing is incredibly important right now."
She said keeping the show on air during a politically tense period has made much of its audience feel represented, pointing to the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! last September over comments Kimmel made following the murder of Charlie Kirk. "Yes, I know we're doing it in a vacuum, but I think it's giving people a feeling of like, their voice is heard, and I think it's important," she said. "But as his wife, I really would like him to be able to not do the show anymore so he could relax."
Asked what a possible end to the show would mean for her own career, McNearney said she would be "good either way." "I would be happy to be done with the show, end it in a great way and do my own next thing," she said. "But I do care deeply about that show and the people who work there. And I think the voice is really important right now."
Kimmel on watching other hosts retire
Kimmel also appeared on Armchair Expert, where he reflected on how other late-night hosts have approached leaving the genre. "I know people who've been in that situation," he said. "It's funny, people make a big show of like, 'I'm done and I'm tired doing this.' And then they make a lesser comeback trying to do the same thing. That's always a bummer. And I always look at that and go, 'Oh, is that going to be me?'"
Kimmel, 58, added that he is "never going to stop doing things," even if he does eventually end Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In an interview with Vulture published June 1, he had already revealed that he considered ending the show years earlier. "Six years ago," he said, "I told them I thought I was done when Joe Biden was president."
Kimmel also said he has felt increasingly uncertain about his future in late night since CBS canceled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, who delivered his final broadcast on May 21. "I feel a little bit defeated by it," Kimmel said. "In a lot of ways, I feel like I'm looking at my own future."
A wave of TV renewals and cancellations
While Kimmel's own future remains undecided, television networks and streamers have settled the fate of dozens of other series this year.
- The Gentlemen, Guy Ritchie's Netflix drama, was renewed for a third season ahead of its season two premiere on September 3.
- Yellowjackets will end on Showtime after its fourth season, premiering November 20.
- Prime Video renewed teen drama Sterling Point for a second season.
- Netflix renewed reality series America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for a fourth season.
- HBO Max renewed Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe for a second season.
- HBO renewed Stephen King adaptation IT: Welcome to Derry for a second season.
- Samsung TV Plus renewed Hooligans: The ARCH Racing Project, which follows Keanu Reeves, Gard Hollinger and riders Corey Alexander and Jeremy McWilliams in the MotoAmerica series, for a second season.
- Starz's S.W.A.T. Exiles was renewed for a second season, star Shemar Moore announced, ahead of its season one premiere.
- Hulu renewed The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for a sixth season following a drama-heavy fifth.
- Peacock renewed The Five Star Weekend, based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel, for a second season.
- Hulu's Australian drama The Artful Dodger will end after a third season in 2027.
- Paramount+ comedy Colin From Accounts returns September 10 for a third and final season.
- American Idol was renewed, with its 25th season set to premiere next year.
- Apple TV's The Morning Show, starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, will end with a fifth season in 2027; Aniston called it "such a privilege" to work with the show's cast, writers, producers and crew in a press release confirming the news on July 23.
- Peacock renewed Love Island: Beyond the Villa, following the Bombshells from Love Island USA season eight, for a third season.
- Prime Video renewed Every Year After, based on Carley Fortune's novels, for a second season.
- Paramount+ renewed Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch for a second season.
- Netflix canceled the Duffer Brothers' The Boroughs after one season, according to Deadline.
- Apple TV renewed The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy for a fourth season.
- Apple TV renewed Widow's Bay, starring Matthew Rhys, for a second season.
- Netflix's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, based on Holly Jackson's novels, will conclude with a third season.
- NBC canceled The Hunting Party after two seasons, according to Deadline.
- HBO's Euphoria ended following its May 31 finale; creator Sam Levinson confirmed the third season was its last, telling the New York Times' Popcast it felt like the right ending for the show's story about addiction.
- Acorn TV renewed Brooke Shields' murder mystery series You're Killing Me for a second season.
- Netflix's Emily in Paris, starring Lily Collins, will end with a sixth season set in Greece.
- Hulu renewed Handmaid's Tale spinoff The Testaments, starring Chase Infiniti, for a second season.
- Apple TV+ renewed Margo's Got Money Troubles, starring Elle Fanning, for a second season.
- Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, will end with its fifth season.
- Netflix renewed docuseries Quarterback for a third season.
- Netflix renewed Love Is Blind for an 11th season, set in Boston.
