“Jimmy Kimmel Live” is getting a brand refresh — including a new opening credits sequence — in time for its 18th season.
The newly designed show open will be unveiled at the start of Monday night’s show; scroll down below to get an exclusive first look. The new open comes as ABC has also unveiled new key art for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and a new promo package that has started to appear on air and in several local markets.
In the spots, Kimmel pops up in viewers’ living rooms — and bedrooms — and asks them personal questions as they settle in to watch his show. The message, of course, is to wind down your day by inviting the host into your house.
ABC marketing president Shannon Ryan said the last time the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” branding was updated was in 2015, and the last time ABC did a campaign for the show was in 2013, when it moved up to 11:35 p.m.
“So it’s been a while,” she said. “We love Jimmy so much and we’re all so proud to have him on our air that we felt the new year was a good time to freshen up the look and give him a campaign and push that he deserves.”
Ryan calls the new graphic look “clean, modern and fresh.” The new main title is lighter and brighter than the old package, but still features the same logo and iconic Hollywood imagery that was included in the past.
“Jimmy is such a smart, authentic and funny voice – he’s so relatable and he’s a guy that people love and trust – and we wanted to make sure that we were being true to his brand,” she said. “So we worked very close with Jimmy and his talented team of producers and writers every step of the way to make sure it was all tonally in line with the show and all in his voice.”
Billboards and bus ads with tailor-made messages geared toward local markets have also started popping up in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston and Atlanta. For example, one New York ad touts “Jimmy Kimmel Live” as “more reliable than the L train,” while an Atlanta billboard is very specific, referring the way locals describe the suburbs vs. the city: “Can’t OTP and ITP just get along?”
The campaign also includes custom messages from Kimmel on gas station TV; Los Angeles double-decker tour bus wraps; custom messages from Kimmel on supermarket radio while customers shop; and custom messaging on YouTube based on specific videos viewers are watching.
“Adding to the idea of ‘Spending Every Night with Jimmy Kimmel’ featured in our promos, we wanted to surround our viewers with funny, contextually relevant placements that made the show feel omnipresent,” Ryan said. “We leaned into the idea that Jimmy shows up in the most unexpected places and makes you laugh.”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” premiered on Jan. 26, 2003 (after Super Bowl XXXVII), making Kimmel the longest-running late night host on broadcast TV. The renewed push for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” comes as the show’s strong performance this past fall, which included winning multiple weeks in adults 18-49. Kimmel also won an Emmy in September for executive producing “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’” He also was behind the second edition of that special, which aired in December and featured “Good Times,” in addition to another episode of “All in the Family.”
Kimmel will also host and executive produce a 20th anniversary celebrity-driven revival of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” this spring.
Here’s a look at the new opening for “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” effective Monday night:
And here is a look at some of the new “Jimmy Kimmel Live” promos: