ABC ANNOUNCES THE FOURTH SEASON PICK-UP OF "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE," THE POPULAR LATE-NIGHT TALK SHOW, THROUGH THE 2006 SEASON

The ABC Television Network announced that it has extended the late-night talk show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live," featuring host Jimmy Kimmel, through 2006. This announcement was made during a period of tremendous ratings success for the program. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" has featured such high profile guests as Robin Williams, Britney Spears, Eminem, Jennifer Garner, Hilary Duff, Matthew Fox, Alec Baldwin, Clay Aiken, George Clooney, Diane Sawyer, Kanye West, Johnny Knoxville and Quentin Tarantino since its premiere on Super Bowl Sunday, January 26, 2003.

"ABC is on a roll. It seemed inevitable that they'd do something like this to screw it up," Kimmel said.

"It was an easy decision to make," said Andrea Wong, executive vice president, Alternative Programming, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. "The show continues to grow creatively, and Jimmy is at the top of his game right now, delivering a hilarious show night after night. We're thrilled he will continue to be part of ABC's current and future success."

Popular musical acts including Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Toby Keith, Motley Crue, Lenny Kravitz, Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne, Weezer, Sting, Duran Duran and Elvis Costello have all appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Superstars such as 50 Cent, Linkin Park and Marilyn Manson have chosen to make their network television debut on the show. Earlier this year "Jimmy Kimmel Live" announced its partnership with Pontiac to present a series of televised outdoor concerts on a custom built stage, creating a premiere music destination in the center of Hollywood.

Taped later in the day than other late night shows - at 8:00 p.m., PT - "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is able to respond to the news of the day more quickly than the competition. A weekly comedy segment entitled "Unnecessary Censorship" pokes fun at the FCC's crackdown on the media by unnecessarily censoring clips from TV news, political speeches, reality TV and nature shows. Other regular comedy segments include Cousin Sal's hidden camera pranks, number one Michael Jackson fan Jake Byrd's "man on the street," feisty Aunt Chippy on location, Security Guard Guillermo's Hollywood Round-up and adorably clueless Uncle Frank's coverage of red-carpet premieres.

ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" draws an average audience of 1.5 million viewers per night. In recent weeks the show has seen its numbers grow. In fact, during the week of September 5, 2005, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" attracted its largest audience in 9 months, while hitting its best Adult 18-49 number in 10 months - since the weeks of 12/20/04 and 11/22/04.

Kimmel and Duncan Gray serve as executive producers. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is shot live in front of a studio audience and produced by Jackhole Industries in association with Touchstone Television. The show airs at 12:05 a.m., on ABC.