After a decade of airing at midnight, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” will begin airing 25 minutes earlier in January.
Despite the move, Jimmy says the format of the show will not change to accommodate an earlier audience.
“It will pretty much be the same show we’ve always been doing,” the late night host told press during a conference call to address the new timeslot on Wednesday. “There’s this idea that you need to broaden the show or make it more wholesome, and I think that is outdated.
“The jokes will remain exactly the same,” he added. “We’re moving 25 minutes earlier. From a Standards and Practices standpoint it’s not a huge difference.”
Jimmy also addressed “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’s” recent move to 11:34 PM (one minute earlier than their usual timeslot) – calling it a “trick” for ratings.
“It tells me that they are a bit concerned,” he said. “I’ll be curious to see how long that goes on.”
Adding, “That’s a trick designed to bring up their ratings in the first month. What really matters is how you do in May and that’s when we’ll know where we stand.”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” will begin airing at 11:35 PM on January 8, 2013, on ABC.
— Erin O’Sullivan
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