Late-night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel announced Thursday that he will step away from his ABC late-night show for two months.
The good news ends there.
Kimmel confirmed he would be handing hosting duties to a rotating cast of guest presenters led by Rosie O’Donnell.
The comedian revealed the temporary departure during Thursday night’s episode of his late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“I will be taking the next two months off, this time voluntarily,” Kimmel told viewers.
Among the other guest hosts set to fill in are Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll.
Introducing the former View co-host, Kimmel quipped: “I asked one of our commander-in-chief’s all-time favorites, Rosie O’Donnell, to be here to keep the hits coming.”
🔥 NEW: Jimmy Kimmel just couldn’t resist taking another cheap shot at Trump while announcing he’s asked ROSIE O’DONNELL to guest host his show for a full week this summer.
“I will be taking the next two months off, this time voluntarily, but we have assembled a potent group of… pic.twitter.com/mWxpAqVspt
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) June 19, 2026
O’Donnell has spent much of the past year living in Ireland after leaving the U.S. following Donald Trump’s re-election victory.
“I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back,” she said upon moving to Ireland.
NEW: Rosie O’Donnell confirms she has fled the United States for Ireland following the election of Donald Trump.
The 62-year-old says she left and dragged her 12-year-old daughter with her because not all Americans have equal rights now.
“I was never someone who thought I would… pic.twitter.com/NyzXwHHnQI
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 11, 2025
Her long-running feud with Trump stretches back nearly two decades, but escalated last year when the president publicly suggested he was considering revoking her citizenship.
“Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA.”
Trump:
Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. pic.twitter.com/GeDO9wRdq7
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 12, 2025
The decision to use O’Donnell as a stand in ensures the show’s aggresively left-wing political tone is unlikely to change during his absence.
Kimmel is expected to return later this summer.
Ben Kew is a writer and editor. Originally from the UK, he moved to the U.S. to cover Congress for Breitbart News and has since gone on to editorial roles at Human Events, Townhall Media, and Americano Media. He has also written for The Epoch Times, The Western Journal, and The Spectator.
You can email Ben Kew here, and read more of Ben Kew’s articles here.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.
