Jaafar Jackson Is Heading to ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ For a Fittingly Full Circle Reunion With ‘Michael’ Co-Star Colman Domingo

Jimmy Kimmel has leaned on a rotating cast of celebrity guest hosts every summer since 2020, and this year’s lineup has already delivered its share of memorable moments before the season even wraps. With Kimmel taking his usual break, names like Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, and Ike Barinholtz have each taken a turn behind the desk, building toward what looks like one of the more thematically fitting stops on the schedule.

That stop belongs to Colman Domingo, who is set to guest host ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ for the very first time during the week of July 20. Domingo’s booking was confirmed weeks in advance, with Kimmel personally thanking him on air ahead of time and even sharing a celebratory toast with the actor and sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez during a prior appearance on the show.

According to the network’s own scheduling, Domingo’s Monday episode will feature Jaafar Jackson as a guest, alongside Jacob Elordi. That pairing carries an obvious connection given the two men’s shared work on ‘Michael‘, the long-awaited biopic in which Domingo plays Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson, while Jaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of Michael Jackson, takes on the role of the pop icon himself.

Domingo has spoken warmly about working alongside Jaafar Jackson before, describing him during a previous appearance on the same show as a revelation and an incredible performer in his own right. He has also previously said in a statement that watching Jaafar in rehearsal left him stunned by how completely he seemed to channel his late uncle’s essence and talent.

That admiration has clearly extended beyond just praising his co-star’s performance. During that same earlier Kimmel appearance, Domingo opened up about approaching the role of Joe Jackson with real nuance, telling Kimmel directly that he chose to play the character as complicated rather than simply mean, adding that he wanted to interrogate the humanity underneath a figure most people already think they understand.

Domingo’s road to this guest hosting gig has been building for a while now. He previously hosted an episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’ back in April and ran his own talk show for AMC called ‘Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s’, giving him a solid foundation heading into his first turn behind Kimmel’s own desk.

Kimmel himself has playfully ribbed Domingo about just how packed his schedule has become recently, joking during their earlier on air exchange about the actor’s film with Steven Spielberg, before rattling off a list of other high profile commitments and eventually landing on hosting the show itself as the biggest addition yet to Domingo’s plate.

With ‘Michael’ continuing its own promotional rollout following the completion of filming, having Domingo and Jaafar Jackson share the same stage again for this guest hosting stint feels like a natural extension of the chemistry the two have already built together on the project.

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