You’ve probably seen the headlines. Maybe you saw a grainy Facebook post or a TikTok clip claiming that Jimmy Kimmel is finally packing his bags and heading for the border. It’s a narrative that has been swirling around for years, usually spiking whenever the political temperature in America hits a boiling point.
But if you’re looking for a moving truck outside his Hollywood home, you might be waiting a while.
Honestly, the "Jimmy Kimmel leaving country" rumors have become a sort of urban legend in the entertainment world. Some people want it to happen; others are terrified it will. But when you actually dig into the contracts, the legal filings, and the man’s own words, the reality is a lot messier—and a lot more anchored to Southern California—than the internet would have you believe.
The Italy Connection: Did He Actually Get Citizenship?
Here is the part that isn't a rumor: Jimmy Kimmel is officially an Italian citizen.
Last summer, during a conversation on The Sarah Silverman Podcast, Kimmel dropped the bombshell that he had successfully obtained Italian citizenship. He didn't do it because of some secret escape plan, though. It was mostly about his heritage. His grandmother’s family comes from the Avellino province in Italy, and he qualified through jure sanguinis—bloodline rights.
"I did get Italian citizenship," he told Silverman. "I do have that."
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Naturally, this sent the internet into a tailspin. People immediately connected the dots between his vocal criticism of the current administration and his new European passport. It's easy to see why. When a guy who spends twenty minutes a night mocking the President suddenly gets a "Plan B" passport, people are going to talk. Kimmel himself didn't exactly pour water on the fire, admitting that the current political climate in the U.S. felt "so much worse" than he ever anticipated.
But having a passport and using it to flee are two very different things. For now, that Italian citizenship is more of a sentimental nod to his roots than a one-way ticket to a villa in Tuscany.
Why Everyone Thought He Was Quitting in 2026
If you follow late-night TV, you know that 2025 was a brutal year for the industry. We saw The Late Show with Stephen Colbert get hit with a cancellation notice for May 2026 (though that's a whole other story involving Paramount mergers), and for a long time, it looked like Kimmel was going to follow him out the door.
Kimmel’s previous contract was also set to expire in May 2026. He had been very open about being tired. He’s been doing this since 2003. That's over two decades of monologue jokes and celebrity interviews. In interviews with the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg, he repeatedly said he thought his current deal would be his last.
Then came the "Charlie Kirk incident" in September 2025.
After some highly controversial comments regarding the conservative activist, Disney (which owns ABC) actually pulled Kimmel off the air for a short stint. Affiliates like Sinclair and Nexstar were fuming. For a few weeks there, it looked like the "Jimmy Kimmel leaving country" rumor might actually come true—not because he chose to leave, but because the network might push him out.
The 2027 Twist: The "Last Lap" Renewal
Just when it looked like the 2026 exit was a done deal, Kimmel surprised everyone. In December 2025, he signed a one-year contract extension.
He announced it on Instagram with his typical dry humor: "I am pleased to announce another no-talent year!"
This new deal keeps Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the air until May 2027. So, if you were expecting him to vanish before the midterms, think again. However, the fact that it was only a one-year extension—rather than his usual three-year deal—is a massive signal. Insiders at ABC are already calling the 2026-2027 season his "goodbye year."
He’s basically doing what David Letterman and Johnny Carson did before him: signaling the end with short-term renewals while he figures out the next chapter.
Fact-Checking the Canada Rumors
We have to address the "Jimmy Kimmel moving to Canada" story because it refuses to die.
If you saw a post claiming Kimmel said he's "never coming back" and is moving to Vancouver or Toronto, you were likely looking at satire. Specifically, a site called SpaceXMania published a fabricated story about Kimmel booking a one-way ticket to Canada following the "red wave" in the last election.
PolitiFact and other major fact-checkers have debunked this repeatedly. ABC even had to issue a formal statement saying the claims were "not accurate." Kimmel has a house in Idaho and a life in L.A.; he isn't trading the Hollywood Hills for the Canadian Rockies anytime soon.
The Reality of Late-Night Burnout
Why does this story keep coming back? It’s because the "late-night host" as a cultural figure is changing.
The job isn't what it used to be. Kimmel has talked extensively about the "grind." It’s a relentless cycle of writing, rehearsing, and performing five days a week. Throw in the death of his long-time friend and bandleader Cleto Escobedo III in late 2025, and you have a man who is clearly re-evaluating what he wants to do with his fifties.
He’s also a dad with young kids. His son Billy’s health struggles have been a major part of his public life, and Kimmel has often hinted that he’d rather spend time with his family than prepare another monologue about whatever happened on Truth Social that afternoon.
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What to Watch for Next
If you want to know if he’s actually leaving, don't watch the political news—watch the guest list.
Kimmel has joked that his dream final interview would be Donald Trump. If that booking ever actually happens, you can bet the retirement announcement is coming roughly five minutes later.
For now, the situation is this:
- Contract: Secured through May 2027.
- Location: Firmly in Los Angeles (with frequent trips to Idaho).
- Citizenship: Dual US/Italian (but no move planned).
- Status: Still the "voice of the resistance" for some and a "bum" to others, depending on which side of the aisle you're on.
The "Jimmy Kimmel leaving country" narrative is a perfect example of how political tribalism can turn a standard contract negotiation and a heritage-based citizenship application into a massive conspiracy theory. He might leave ABC in 2027, but he’s not leaving the United States.
Practical Takeaways:
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- Verify the Source: Most "Kimmel is fleeing" stories originate from satire sites or hyper-partisan Facebook groups.
- Watch the Extension: The one-year deal is the most reliable evidence we have that he is winding down his career.
- Understand the Passport: Dual citizenship is common among wealthy Americans for travel ease and tax planning, not just "fleeing."
- Ignore the Satire: Sites like SpaceXMania are designed to look like news but are explicitly fictional.
If you’re a fan, you’ve got about eighteen months of shows left. If you aren't, you've got eighteen months left to change the channel. But either way, the guy isn't moving to Rome tomorrow.
Keep an eye on his summer hiatus in 2026. That’s usually when the real decisions about the future are made, far away from the cameras and the Twitter mentions.