Jimmy Kimmel says he has COVID-19; Mike Birbiglia to fill in on talk show

Kimmel tweets that he’s double vaxxed, boosted and “feeling fine.”

By Darel Jevens

Jimmy Kimmel will host a prime-time edition of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” with stars as the contestants and winnings earmarked for the charities of their choice. — Jimmy Kimmel will miss several episodes of his talk show after testing positive for COVID-19.

“The show must not go on,” Jimmy Kimmel tweeted Monday as he revealed he’s the latest late-night TV host to contract COVID-19.

“Our daughter brought us covid (even though we specifically asked her not to),” the host wrote, adding that he’s double vaxxed, boosted and “feeling fine.”

Instead of the scheduled new “Jimmy Kimmel Live” with guest Tom Cruise, Monday night’s episode will be a rerun. Tuesday through Thursday, Kimmel’s fill-in host will be comedian Mike Birbiglia, keeping busy during downtime from his current Steppenwolf Theatre Company run.

As the ‘Old Man,’ Mike Birbiglia confronts middle age, mortality with irresistible humor, insight

Birbiglia had been scheduled as a Tuesday guest on the show. “I must be the first person to ever deplane a Southwest Airlines flight and find out they’re guest-hosting a late night talk show,” he tweeted.

The virus has been making its way through the late-night ranks in 2022, starting with Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and James Corden in January. Stephen Colbert skipped his April 21 “Late Show” taping after testing positive and is scheduled to return to the air Monday after an extended recovery time/vacation.

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