Five Years After JIMMY KIMMEL Took Over As Host, The Future Of His Role On ‘WHO WANTS TO BE’ A Millionaire Has Finally Been Revealed, ENDING MONTHS OF SPECULATION.

JIMMY Kimmel’s future on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire has been revealed five years after the host took over the coveted role, The U.S. Sun can reveal.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host began to fill in the shoes of TV icon Regis Philbin during the show’s 20th anniversary special that ran in March 2020.

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Jimmy Kimmel has been the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire since 2020Credit: Disney

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The talk show host has led the celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire for five yearsCredit: Getty
From there, Jimmy, 57, has continued to be the sole host of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, as well as front several other TV programs for ABC.

After five years of success with the famous game show, The U.S. Sun has learned that the role will stay with Jimmy for “as long as he wants it.”

“The network, producers everyone is really happy with how he’s doing and his job is safe for as long as he wants it and as long as the show goes on.

“He’s got people fighting for him at the network that really love him,” a source revealed.

The insider continued: “Jimmy is nearly a different host than when he first started. He’s really settled into the role.

“Being a game show host is a completely different beast than being a talk show host or comedian so he was green to it.

“I think he wasn’t too comfortable for a while. He had an adjustment period but now he’s settled in and has made it his own.

“He mingles with the audience more than he ever has and same goes for the crew. It’s going really well.”

A separate production source claimed: “Jimmy is the most easy going host the show has ever had.

“The least diva of the hosts, gets along the best with the crew. No one can replace Regis.

“Regis was a king but Jimmy feels like a friend on set. He really fits in.”

TV legend Regis Philbin was the first host of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire when it premiered in August 1999.

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He hosted the quiz show until 2002 and then briefly returned for a 2004 primetime special as well as a 10th anniversary special in 2009.

While Regis, who passed away in July 2020, hosted the entire duration of its original run, The View alum, Meredith Vieira, 71, was tapped to take over a daily syndicated version of Millionaire.

She hosted that version for 11 seasons before departing in 2013 – where a carousel of hosts would take her place.

Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews and Chris Harrison hosted the show temporarily until the series was officially canceled in 2019.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hosts

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has on and off the air since 1999.

Here is a list of the hosts of the US game show:

Regis Philbin
Meridith Vieria
Cedric the Entertainer
Terry Crews
Chris Harrison
Jimmy Kimmel

However, just a year later, ABC announced they were renewing the game show – this time with celebrity contestants.

Jimmy was announced as the host and is also credited as an executive producer.

The show got renewed for its 26th season earlier this year and will air beginning in July.

Currently, the show format is a pair of celebrity contestants who attempt to win a whopping $1 million prize for charity.

The first celebrity pair to win the whole game was father-son duo, Alan and Ike Barinholtz.

The pair, who are both actors, donated their impressive earnings to the ASL Program at Los Encinos School.

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Jimmy Kimmel hosts Who Wants To Be A MillionaireCredit: Getty

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Regis Philbin was the original host of MillionaireCredit: Getty

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Meredith Vieira took over the hosting role for 11 seasonsCredit: Disney General Entertainment Con