Jimmy Kimmel Won't Compete With Letterman's Final Show, But What About Fallon, Conan?

Jimmy Kimmel plans to air a repeat episode opposite David Letterman's farewell, out of "respect" for his hero, but he may be alone in that move.

Dave is the longest-running late-night talk show host in history, even beyond Johnny Carson, but he retires in just two weeks. He will host the "Late Show" for the last time on May 20. Dave's show airs on CBS and competes directly with "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC and "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon on NBC, plus Conan O'Brien's "Conan" on TBS and "The Daily Show" and "The Nightly Show" on Comedy Central.

Jimmy Kimmel revealed, via e-mail to the New York Times, that he's airing a repeat on May 20. "I have too much respect for Dave to do anything that would distract viewers from watching his final show," Kimmel said. "Plus, I'll probably be crying all day, which makes it hard to work." Classy move, and a smart one, too. It's not like he has a ton to lose -- the ratings will probably go Dave's way anyhow -- and he has respect and goodwill to gain. (Plus, maybe he'll stop by Dave's final episode?)

What about the other late night shows? As the Times noted, both "The Daily Show" and "Nightly Show" are on repeats that week, but a "Conan" rep said they plan to run a new show on May 20, and a "Tonight Show" rep said they plan to air original episodes that entire week. It would be a surprise if they didn't reference Letterman's departure in some way, but they aren't stepping aside for his farewell.

Do you plan to watch Letterman's final show on May 20?



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