Jimmy Kimmel considers retiring from late-night TV: “I want to go out on my own terms”

ABC/Jeff Lipsky(LOS ANGELES) — Right now, Jimmy Kimmel is focused on hosting the Academy Awards on Sunday night, but he also has his sights on 2019, when his late-night TV hosting contract is up.  That might spell the end of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, according to the host.

Speaking to Variety, the comedian says he’s considered retiring from his show when his contract is finished, adding, “I want to go out on my own terms. If we ever feel like we’re repeating ourselves, I think it’s a good indication that it’s time.”

Variety notes that the landscape has changed in the 14 years he’s spent on late-night TV, with growing competition from Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert making it a dog-eat-dog world during the late-night hours.

But if Kimmel does retire, what would he do with his time?  “I like to draw. I like to make sculptures,” he tells Variety. “I’d like to write a book at some point. Doing the show every day doesn’t leave time for that.”

As for whether or not he’d host the Oscars again, he notes, “I’m just going to focus on the one and see how it goes. It’s funny, because part of the reason I was asked to do this is because the Emmys went well. If I do really well, I’m just going to have to do it again.”

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