Jimmy Kimmel’s daughter believes she’ll inherit his late-night show

Jimmy Kimmel’s 12-year-old daughter already has her sights set on the family business.

The longtime Jimmy Kimmel Live! host revealed that his daughter Jane is convinced she will eventually take over his ABC late-night show, even though no one ever actually offered her the job.

Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, shared their daughter’s ambitions during an appearance on Dax Shepard‘s “Armchair Expert” podcast.

According to Kimmel, Jane thinks the show will someday belong to her.

“For whatever reason, she’s decided, even though she’s one of my four children, that she is taking over the show,” Kimmel said, joking that the assumption is both “annoying and presumptuous.”

He added that there was never even a conversation about the possibility. In Jane’s mind, she will “of course, run the family business.”

Jane was devastated when Jimmy Kimmel’s show went off the air

Jane apparently takes her future hosting duties seriously.

When Jimmy Kimmel Live! was temporarily pulled from ABC’s lineup in September 2025, Jane became emotional because she believed the show she planned to inherit was going away.

The suspension came after Kimmel faced backlash over comments he made following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ABC eventually returned the program to the air.

McNearney, who serves as an executive producer and co-head writer on her husband’s show, previously revealed that she and Kimmel had to explain the controversy to their children as the situation became a major national story.

Jimmy Kimmel’s daughter isn’t his only child

Kimmel is actually a father of four, meaning Jane could theoretically have some competition for the late-night throne.

He and McNearney, who married in 2013, also share 9-year-old son Billy.

Kimmel has two adult children, Katie and Kevin, from his previous marriage to Gina Maddy. His eldest daughter, Katie, made him a grandfather for the first time in 2025.

So far, however, it appears Jane is the only one who publicly called dibs on Dad’s desk.

Another late-night host’s son had the same idea

Jane isn’t the first child of a famous late-night host to assume the job would eventually be passed down.

Kimmel said he once told Jon Stewart about his daughter’s plans and learned that Stewart’s son had apparently gone through a similar phase.

Stewart’s son once assumed he would eventually inherit The Daily Show and even questioned who “this Trevor character” was after Trevor Noah succeeded his father as host.

Noah ultimately hosted the Comedy Central series from 2015 until 2022 before Stewart returned to the program on a part-time basis.

Jimmy Kimmel has hosted his show for more than two decades

If Jane does eventually get her wish, she may have a while to wait.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted on ABC in January 2003, making Kimmel one of the longest-serving current hosts in late-night television.

The 58-year-old took an extended summer break from the program this year, with celebrity guest hosts including Anthony Anderson, Jelly Roll and Rosie O’Donnell stepping behind his desk in his absence.

Kimmel said in June that he planned to take approximately two months off before returning to the show.

For now, at least, Jane will have to keep waiting her turn.