Jimmy Kimmel is taking "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" back to Brooklyn for a week of tapings at the end of September, marking his seventh visit to the borough for the late-night program. The shows will be recorded at the Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House from Monday, September 28 through Friday, with ABC airing the episodes during that same week.
This recurring Brooklyn residency reflects a broader strategy among late-night hosts to produce content outside their primary studios. For Kimmel, these East Coast ventures break up the monotony of taping exclusively at Los Angeles's El Capitan Theatre, where "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" maintains its home base. The shift also allows the show to tap into Brooklyn's cultural cachet and tap local talent, celebrities, and newsmakers who may be more accessible or willing to appear for a targeted production week.
Brooklyn has become a natural hub for television and entertainment production over the past decade. The borough's neighborhoods, particularly DUMBO and Red Hook, have attracted production companies, streaming studios, and premium cable networks seeking that distinctive New York energy without the astronomical costs of Manhattan studio space. ABC's decision to support Kimmel's recurring Brooklyn tapings aligns with this trend. The Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House provides an intimate, historic venue that carries prestige and character far different from the sprawling, climate-controlled soundstage Kimmel works in nightly back in Los Angeles.
For Kimmel specifically, these road shows serve multiple purposes. They generate fresh content with distinct production values and audience energy. Brooklyn crowds bring different demographics than Kimmel's core LA audience, which can shape the comedic tone and interview dynamics across the week. The borough's proximity to Manhattan also makes it easier to secure high-profile guests who operate primarily in New York media, publishing, and entertainment circles.
The late-night landscape has shifted considerably since the pandemic, with hosts experimenting more aggressively with location-based tapings. Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" regularly moves production, while NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon has staged major events outside its Rockefeller Center studio. These variations serve the dual purpose of reinvigorating the format for both hosts and audiences while demonstrating to networks that live-television production can happen anywhere with proper logistics and crew infrastructure.
Brooklyn specifically holds historical significance for television. The Academy of Music itself opened in 1908 and hosted legendary performances. Its Howard Gilman Opera House underwent major renovations and now attracts major artists and productions seeking a venue with architectural integrity and cultural weight. Using such a space for late-night tapings elevates the production aesthetically while signaling that this week differs from Kimmel's standard output.
For ABC, supporting these recurring trips keeps "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" fresh in an increasingly fragmented media landscape where traditional late-night viewership continues its slow decline. Offering fans and viewers something different, even if just geographically, creates a reason to tune in during a specific week. This seventh visit suggests the arrangement has proven successful for both the network and the host, making Brooklyn tapings a permanent fixture in the show's annual calendar rather than a one-off experiment.