Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is making a TV comeback, and Jimmy Kimmel is hosting it. As announced earlier this year, ABC is currently home to a reinvigorated run of the beloved trivia show. Why did Kimmel wish to balance doing monologues for his late-night show in order to also host the reboot? He actually has an adorable reason.
First of all, it sounds like Jimmy Kimmel is a fan of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and who can blame him? Personally speaking, it is as easy to get swept up into an episode now as it was back in 1999, so age clearly isn't a mitigating factor for one's enjoyment. Speaking of which, though, youth does play a role in why Kimmel wanted to be a part of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Speaking to his reasoning, Kimmel told Variety:
It’s a great game. And I know that, because I play it with my 5-year-old and my 2-year-old. We watched a cut of the show and they were glued to the television. When little kids are interested in something for adults, you’ve really got something powerful on your hands.
While others have shown interest in hosting the quiz show reboot, Jimmy Kimmel is the one who landed the job during its twenty-first season. It turns out that Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is more than just a hosting gig for Kimmel. It is actually a pastime he enjoys with his kids, and for them to be so riveted when they watched an installment is, as Kimmel says, a pretty good sign that he picked a good gig.
What is there not for a kid to love about the high-stakes game show? Historically speaking, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has delivered a lot of intense moments, from incredible highs to some truly sad downfalls. Now, a whole new generation will get a chance to see people use their wits in attempts to win that big million-dollar prize. It won't be for keeps in this case, though, since Jimmy Kimmel’s season will see eight celebrities competing.
The celebrity contestants’ goals are to raise money for the charities of their choice. Following the flash-forward-less series finale of Modern Family, one of the sitcom's stars, Eric Stonestreet, competed on the Season 21 premiere of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and the actor raised money for Building Hope for Autism. He ended up winning $125,000, which had to be impressive for Jimmy Kimmel’s kids.
I have to give significant credit to Jimmy Kimmel’s kids for being so attentive to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, especially at only two and five years of age. It's pretty young to start brushing up on that kind of trivia. But hopefully, they will compete someday, since they certainly have an early start on the competition.
Also, what a night for Eric Stonestreet. The final episode of Modern Family aired, and he was a winning competitor on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. Talk about a busy guy! Jimmy Kimmel’s kids should be excited for what's to come, too, since there are seven more episodes on their way, which means nostalgia for adult viewers, and a whole lot of introductory fun for new ones.
New episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? are airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. The trivia competition will be joined by more content in the form of this spring’s premieres, so stay tuned.
