Jimmy Kimmel Has COVID, Will Miss Jimmy Kimmel Live

By Cameron Bonomolo

Jimmy Kimmel is the latest late-night talk show host to be sidelined by COVID. Kimmel announced on Twitter he is "feeling fine" but will step aside from hosting duties on this week's shows of Jimmy Kimmel Live, featuring a star-studded lineup of guests like Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise and Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi's Ewan McGregor. Taking temporary hosting duties is comedian Mike Birbiglia (of Netflix's Orange Is the New Black and Human Resources), who was to appear as a guest on Tuesday's show. See Kimmel's announcement and the Jimmy Kimmel Live schedule below.

"Our daughter brought us covid (even though we specifically asked her not to) All feeling fine, I am double vaxxed and boosted but the show must not go on," Kimmel tweeted. "Apologies to @TomCruise & @iliza and thanks to Mike Birbiglia @birbigs who'll be filling in for me starting tomorrow night."

In a response, Birbiglia tweeted, "I must be the first person to ever deplane a Southwest Airlines flight and find out they're guest-hosting a late night talk show." 

Announced Jimmy Kimmel Live guests for May 2 – 5 include:

Monday: Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick), Parquet Courts
Tuesday: Mike Myers (The Pentaverate), Iliza Shlesinger (Netflix is a Joke: The Festival), musical guests The Black Crowes
Wednesday: Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and The Afterparty), musical guests The Head and the Heart
Thursday: Kevin Hart, Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) 

Kimmel's sick leave comes after Stephen Colbert last week canceled tapings of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert due to his COVID diagnosis. In January, The Late Late Show went dark for a few days when host James Corden announced he tested positive for COVID.  

Jimmy Kimmel Live airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. EDT on ABC. 

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