Jimmy Kimmel Says He’s Worried About His Career! ‘I Will Have A Hard Time’!***

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host, 56, appeared on Monday’s episode of Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson’s “Politickin’ ” podcast and acknowledged that his career may never be the same after his show goes off the air.

“I will have a hard time when it’s over,” he said. “It worries me, and that’s part of the reason why I keep going.”

Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show has been on the air for more than 20 years.Disney
Kimmel’s ABC talk series premiered in January 2003, with George Clooney as his first guest ever.

“Each time I think, well, this is going to be my last contract, and then I wind up signing another contract,” he said on the “Politickin’ ” podcast.

Larry David (left) visits “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”Disney
“It’s because I fear that day, that Monday after my final show, and it’s like, OK, now what am I going to do?” the father of four continued. “Because there’s not a . . . I don’t know, there aren’t a huge number of options for late-night hosts after the shows are over.”

“People think of you like a late-night talk show host. It’s not like you are suddenly going to start starring in films.”

Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 2024 Oscars.Variety via Getty Images
In February, Kimmel told the LA Times that he’s had thoughts about wrapping up his late-night show after 20 years.

“It’s hard to yearn for it when you’re doing it,” he explained. “Wednesday night, I was very tired, and I had all these scripts to go through — I had to revise and rewrite all these pitch ideas for the Oscars — and I was literally nodding off onto my computer.”

“I think this is my final contract,” Kimmel said, adding, “That seems pretty good. That seems like enough.”

Jimmy Kimmel interviews Vice President Kamala Harris.Disney
He also addressed what his life may be like after “Live!” ends.

“I have a lot of hobbies — I love to cook, I love to draw, I imagine myself learning to do sculptures,” Kimmel quipped. “I know that when I die, if I’m fortunate enough to die on my own terms in my own bed, I’m going to think, ‘Oh, I was never able to get to this, and I was never able to get to that.’ I just know it about myself.”

Jimmy Kimmel arrives at his talk show studio in LA on June 11, 2024.GC Images
On the “Politickin’ ” podcast, the Emmy Award winner said he’s fearful for the future of all late-night shows.

“I don’t know if there will be any late-night television shows on network TV in 10 years,” he shared. “Maybe there will be one, but there won’t be a lot of them. The audience is, there’s a lot to watch, you know, and now people can watch anything at any time.”

“I don’t know if there will be any late-night television shows on network TV in 10 years,” Jimmy Kimmel says.Jimmy Kimmel Live/ABC
“They’ve got all these streaming services,” he noted. “It used to be like, you know, Johnny Carson was the only thing on at 11:30. And so everybody watched, and then David Letterman was on after Johnny.”

Kimmel continued: “And so people would watch those two shows, but now there are so many options and maybe even more significantly, the fact that people are able to easily watch your monologue online the next day, it really cancels out the need to watch it when it’s on the air. And once people stop watching it when it’s on the air, networks are going to stop paying for it to be made.”

While Kimmel has been on summer vacation, his show has continued to air with guest hosts including Kathryn Hahn, Kumail Nanjiani, Anthony Anderson, Jeff Goldblum and Lamorne Morris.

Kimmel is expected to return from his hiatus in the fall.