Updated

Updated · ABC · Aug 14

Jimmy Kimmel Live Sets 5-Night August 17-21 Lineup With Rosie O'Donnell Hosting 4 Shows

Updated

Updated · ABC · Aug 14

Jimmy Kimmel Live Sets 5-Night August 17-21 Lineup With Rosie O'Donnell Hosting 4 Shows

Q: Why did Rosie O'Donnell wait until 2026 to make her very first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's stage?

Rosie O’Donnell appears to have waited until 2026 because she and Jimmy Kimmel never had a close relationship before now, and she had never been invited onto the show in any role. In interviews ahead of her guest-hosting stint, O’Donnell said the offer “came out of the blue.” She explained that she and Kimmel had never even spoken on the phone, only exchanged a few texts, and that their relationship had been somewhat “adversarial.” She described him as “never a fan” of hers, which helps explain why she had not previously appeared on his stage as a guest. The turning point seems to have come after O’Donnell contacted Kimmel when his uncle, Frank Potenza, died. She said Kimmel responded, and that exchange appears to have softened the distance between them. Even so, no earlier booking followed, and O’Donnell herself said her reaction to the 2026 offer was: “I haven’t ever even been a guest!” The immediate reason for her appearance in 2026 is practical: Kimmel was on his annual summer vacation and chose her as part of the show’s rotating guest-host lineup. Reports describe this as her first-ever appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in any capacity. So the delay was not because she had been holding out for years; it was because the relationship and invitation simply did not exist until now.

1 articles · Updated · ABC · Aug 14

Rosie O'Donnell will guest host four "Jimmy Kimmel Live" episodes from Aug. 17-20, with Friday's Aug. 21 show listing Jean Smart and Richard Gadd.
Monday's lineup pairs O'Donnell with Hannah Waddingham and Ana Gasteyer, plus musical guest The Linda Lindas; Wednesday brings Charlie Day, Janelle James and Ashley McBryde.
Tuesday features Jean Smart and Richard Gadd, while Thursday books Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Shawn Hatosy and Sydney James Harcourt.
Bella Brown is scheduled to sit in with The Cletones all week on the ABC late-night show, which airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EST.

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ABC37d ago

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Rosie O'Donnell Guest Hosts, Full Lineup for August 17-21, 2026

Why did Rosie O'Donnell wait until 2026 to make her very first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's stage?

Will replacing a seasoned host with rotating summer celebrities ultimately hurt or help late-night television ratings?

Could stacking the guest list with Emmy nominees right as voting opens secretly manipulate this year's awards?

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1 total

ABC37d ago

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Rosie O'Donnell Guest Hosts, Full Lineup for August 17-21, 2026

Jimmy Kimmel Live Sets 5-Night August 17-21 Lineup With Rosie O'Donnell Hosting 4 Shows

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