LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is planning to take a long summer vacation from hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
On Thursday Night, Kimmel announced that starting on Monday, he’s taking a long break to spend some time with his family.
“I’ve been doing this job for almost eighteen years, I’ve done three thousand, one hundred and thirty shows, and there’s nothing wrong — my family is healthy, I’m healthy — I just need a couple of months off,” he said.
According to the New York Post, ABC has not provided an update about who will be filling in for Kimmel while he’s off, but said there will be a “cavalcade of very kind and capable people will be filling in.”
While he made no mention of the controversy in announcing his break, Kimmel has been the focus of criticism over skits he performed during his tenure on the Comedy Central’s “The Man Show” which ran from 1999 to 2004.
In the skits, Kimmel, wearing blackface, did a comedic, exaggerated take on former NBA star Karl Malone.
Kimmel is lined up to host the Emmy Awards on ABC on Sept. 20.
