Jimmy Kimmel does not have any plans to bring “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” back following collaborator Norman Lear‘s death in 2023.
During the second night of this year’s Creative Arts Emmys, Kimmel took home the award for Outstanding Game Show Host for his work on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” In the aftermath of that win, Kimmel was asked backstage whether or not ABC viewers can look forward to another “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” special anytime soon.
“I think it would be too emotional to do it without Norman Lear,” Kimmel responded. “I don’t know if my heart could take it.”
“Live in Front of a Studio Audience” was a series of specials that were hosted and conceived by Kimmel and which recreated iconic episodes of Lear-created and produced sitcoms from the 1970s and ’80s, including “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “The Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes.” The specials, which aired in May 2019, December 2019 and December 2021, gave new, modern casts the opportunity to offer their own takes on the chosen, 50 and 40-year-old scripts.
In doing so, the specials, which won multiple Emmy awards, showcased the timeless humor, wisdom and charm of Lear’s beloved, iconic sitcoms and inspired renewed interest in some of the titles. Neither Kimmel nor ABC has given any indication that another “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” special was in the works at any point in the years since Lear’s death, though.
According to Kimmel, that is because the specials were intended to be a tribute to Lear that he could appreciate while he was still alive.
“The great thing about doing that show with Norman [was] it was a way to honor him in the way that you honor people after they’ve passed while he was still alive,” Kimmel explained Sunday night. “That was, for me, the best part of the whole deal. And I don’t know. It just would feel weird to do it without him, I think.”
Lear was not the only TV icon that Kimmel paid tribute to Sunday night. Following his win for “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” Kimmel also acknowledged the lasting impact left by the game show’s original American host, Regis Philbin.
“Regis was the best at this,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think this show would still be on the air if Regis hadn’t hosted it to start with. And he was such an unusual pick at the time. I don’t think people remember that because it became such a big sensation, not just a hit, but like a cultural phenomenon. I don’t think people thought about the fact that Regis was a very unlikely choice as host for this show that became this big deal.”
“Regis was somebody who was very nice to me and who I liked a lot,” Kimmel said, while holding up his Emmy. “It is exciting to have this and to know that he has this same Emmy somewhere in his family’s collection as well.”
