Jimmy Kimmel is still on his summer break and, in the meantime, guest hosts have been filling in for him. So far, notable stars like Tiffany Haddish and Colman Domingo have held down Kimmel’s post and, later this summer, Rosie O’Donnell will step behind the desk for a week. Ahead of that, rumors are apparently swirling around the comedian, with a source claiming she could permanently take over for Kimmel sometime after her guest stint. Now, O’Donnell is addressing that allegation, and I wasn’t expecting her to mention one detail.
O’Donnell revealed she received an email from a news outlet that said it was “preparing a story reporting that Rosie O’Donnell is eyeing a full-time return to late night after Jimmy Kimmel tapped her to guest host” this August. The outlet’s sources also claimed the ex-talk show host was “willing to go behind his back with ABC executives to make it happen.” In her Instagram post, O’Donnell also included a screenshot of her response to the rumor about her supposed eagerness to return to the “talk show world”:
Ha funny - and completely untrue. I leave ireland the day I’m done guest hosting for jimmy - where my child starts the 8th grade – I’m not interested in doing late night – daytime however would be interesting.
So it would appear that O’Donnell isn’t after Kimmel’s seat at ABC following her week-long stint on his show later this summer. However, what really stands out to me is the fact that she’s apparently intrigued by the notion of returning to daytime TV. Considering the comic’s life in Ireland, where she moved with her child in 2025, I wouldn’t have expected her to express interest in returning to the hustle and bustle of the TV industry. Still, the daytime space is something O’Donnell knows quite well.
From 1996 to 2002, the New York native headlined The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which proved to be a daytime hit for a while. The show also garnered several Emmy awards, including multiple wins for O’Donnell for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In 2006, O’Donnell joined ABC’s The View, where she clashed with co-panelist Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and eventually left the show in 2007. She’d return to the series, however, in 2014 but left in 2015 due to personal reasons.
The notion of O’Donnell initiating a “takeover” of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is admittedly far-fetched, especially given the support she’s shown for Kimmel in the past . Nevertheless, for some time now, Kimmel has been talking about retirement on and off and, in late 2025, he extended his contract to May 2027. As of this writing, the Man Show alum has yet to divulge exactly how much longer he’ll continue to do his show.
I’m curious as to how long Jimmy Kimmel will remain a part of the ever-changing late-night TV landscape, and I’m equally intrigued about the notion of Rosie O’Donnell returning to the daytime sphere. Personally, I’d like to think that if the formerly dubbed “Queen of Nice” seriously wants to get back in the saddle, network execs will show some interest.
For now, though, see O’Donnell host Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of August 17 amid the 2026 TV schedule.
