The volume of musical guests on late-night television is set to decrease again in 2026, following news that *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* (JKL) will be reducing its number of performance slots. Deadline has confirmed that the show plans to cut the number of musical performances each week to around two.
While this figure is not fixed and the show has not always featured a musical performance in every episode, the overall intention is to scale back the number of live music slots.
This reduction comes amid a broader trend: the number of musical performances on late-night TV dropped significantly—from around 800 weekly performances between 2011 and 2013 to closer to 200 in 2023, according to a report by music publication *Consequence of Sound*.
*The Hollywood Reporter* revealed that JKL’s music producer, Jim Pitt, has begun notifying artist managers, record labels, and promo bookers about the planned cuts. Pitt collaborates on musical bookings with former sElf bassist Mac Burrus.
Last year, *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* featured a diverse lineup of musical guests, including The Linda Lindas, The Weeknd, My Morning Jacket, Soccer Mommy, Finneas, Red Kross, Cameron Winter, Japanese Breakfast, Smokey Robinson, Rilo Kiley, Garbage, Lil Wayne, Queens of the Stone Age, Public Enemy, Haim, Dawes, and MJ Lenderman.
Interestingly, this decline in musical performances on traditional late-night shows coincides with fresh energy in the space, thanks to new entrants like Netflix’s *Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney*. Launched last year, the show has showcased performances from notable artists such as Kim Gordon and Kim Deal, Mannequin Pussy, Metz, Sleater-Kinney, and The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, offering a much-needed boost to live music on late-night TV.
https://deadline.com/2026/01/jimmy-kimmel-live-cut-number-musical-artists-1236664929/
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