With Christmas just days away, many scripted and unscripted shows have taken breaks until the 2026 TV schedule takes over, with the final episodes of Stranger Things being the monster-sized exceptions. The late night is understandably also taking off for the holidays, meaning any and all of the biggest entertainment news stories happening in the next two weeks won’t be talked about by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers.
They will surely have a lot to share when each host's respective show returns in the new year. But when will that actually be? Let's run down the list of network TV staples.
When Does The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Return?
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon aired its final 2025 show on Thursday, December 18, which gave Fallon just enough time to burn off all of the Stranger Things coverage ahead of the Volume 2 and Volume 3 releases. This holiday week's installments will include reruns of previous episodes, according to Entertainment Weekly.
There doesn’t seem to be a confirmed return date as of yet. It can be expected that The Tonight Show will remain on break through at least next week, with a possible return either the first or second full week of January.
When Does Jimmy Kimmel Live! Return?
After a rough end to the year, Jimmy Kimmel is taking a much-deserved break for the holidays. Since 2023, Kimmel has taken off for the last two weeks of the year, per EW, and that trend is continuing this year. Just like with The Tonight Show, there will be reruns in place of new episodes this week and next week. His final episode of 2025 was on Thursday, where he tearfully reflected on the year, not long after ABC renewed his contract through 2027.
An exact return date has not been revealed, but it will likely arrive in early January.
When Does The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Return?
Stephen Colbert has officially taken his final holiday break before his final run of shows in 2026. These final two weeks of 2025 will consist of reruns, according to EW, with Colbert coming back in the new year to kickstart the final five months of his run before ending in May.
Celebrities and fellow late-night hosts have been speaking out about the cancellation, with Kimmel even using his platform to campaign for Colbert’s Emmy rather than his own. Additionally, Hugh Jackman did a rendition of “Sweet Caroline” to account for the devastating cancellation, and it was as perfect as ever. No return date has been given, but fans should be able to look forward to The Late Show’s return in early January.
When Does Late Night with Seth Meyers Return?
Seth Meyers is also off for the holidays, with NBC showing reruns of the late-night talk show, per EW. The break comes after President Trump called for all of late night to be canceled and after Meyers had guests such as Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter, doing a Day Drinking segment with the latter. As of yet, a return date has not been announced, but will likely be in early 2026 as well.
Stay tuned for more late night updates, and know that if you hear clatter on your rooftop, it definitely isn't Jimmy Fallon up there.
