Late-Night Music Shift: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Cuts Performances to Two Per Week

By Zoe Papadakis | Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Following a national trend, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will reduce its musical performances to approximately two per week this year. The change follows reports that the show’s music producer, Jim Pitt, has begun notifying industry contacts, including artist managers and promotional bookers, about the reduction. Pitt, who oversees the show’s music bookings alongside Mac Burrus—a former member of the band sElf—has been communicating these adjustments.

This shift marks another in a series of changes for a program that has long treated live music as a cornerstone of its identity since launching in 2003. The show has historically featured major artists such as One Direction, Eminem (who once performed live from the Empire State Building), and The Weeknd, alongside emerging acts.

Despite the reduction, this week’s lineup includes performances by folk artist Molly Tuttle, Debbie Gibson, The Cletones, HUNTR/X from “KPop Demon Hunters,” EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. The move comes amid a sharp decline in late-night music appearances across the industry, with historical data showing that annual musical performances on late-night television dropped from approximately 800 between 2011 and 2013 to about 200 in 2023.

The change also follows “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”’s recent contract renewal with Disney. The agreement, confirmed by multiple sources, extends Kimmel’s tenure through 2026. This deal came weeks after Disney temporarily removed the show from its schedule following complaints from affiliate station groups about a monologue Kimmel delivered discussing conservative leader Charlie Kirk—whose assassination occurred earlier that month.

The show has maintained a diverse lineup of artists throughout its history, including The Linda Lindas, My Morning Jacket, Soccer Mommy, Finneas, Red Kross, Japanese Breakfast, Smokey Robinson, Rilo Kiley, Garbage, Lil Wayne, Queens of the Stone Age, Public Enemy, Haim, Dawes and MJ Lenderman. Musical performances remain part of the program on a reduced basis.