There’s no doubt that the musical guests have been an integral part of Jimmy Kimmel Live since its conception in 2003. We get to see bands and artists we don’t necessarily know, giving us a chance to hear new music. It’s also an opportunity to catch up with what our favorite singers and songwriters are doing.
So, the news that Jimmy Kimmel Live will cut down on the number of musical guests it will feature each week is disappointing. This is new for 2026, but if we look carefully at the number of musical guests in recent years, that number has reduced considerably since the beginning of the series.
How many musical guests will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live each week?
Deadline reports that the plan is to have around two musical guests per week. However, this number isn’t set in stone, and as you can see from the schedule for the week, there are three to kickstart 2026. Debbie Gibson will sit in with The Cletones on Wednesday, Jan. 7, while Molly Tuttle was on the Monday, Jan. 5 episode and HUNTR/X will take to the stage on Thursday, Jan. 8.
While there will be a reduction in the number of musical guests, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any music at all. The Cletones remains an integral part of the series, renamed after the untimely death of band leader Cleto.
Jimm Pitt, the music producer for Jimmy Kimmel Live, has made it clear to artist managers, promo bookers, and more that the number of artists on the show would be cut. This helps to ease into the change behind the scenes.
The number of musical guests on JKL has dropped over the years
While musical guests have been a big draw on the show, the number has dropped considerably over the years. Between 2011 and 2013, there were around 800 musical guests, but there were just 200 musical guests in 2023.
With the idea of just two musical guests a week, 2026 will likely see around 100 or maybe a little less. It all depends on how hard the show sticks to that number.
This doesn’t mean we won’t get artists on the series, though. There is always a chance that they will come onto the series as guests to interview, which is something Taylor Swift recently did on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Brad Paisley did on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It just means that we won’t hear a full song from some of them.
It's not clear if other late night shows will follow suit on reducing the number of musical guests. It's also not exactly clear why Jimmy Kimmel Live is doing this, but it's likely linked to budget constraints.
Jimmy Kimmel Live airs on weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on ABC.