Oz Pearlman will not be appearing on Monday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! as originally scheduled. Instead, the mentalist was replaced with Pod Save America co-host Jon Lovett. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to ABC for comment on this change. Monday’s episode will still feature guest Anthony Anderson.
This lineup change comes after a scary incident at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Pearlman was hosting. Just before shots were fired, Pearlman was performing a magic trick on Karoline Leavitt, who was seated next to President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Everyone quickly dropped to the ground for safety as the situation unfolded. The intruder, Cole Tomas Allen, was subdued and charged with attempting to assassinate Trump.
After the incident, Pearlman took to Instagram to thank everyone for their concern and to share his experience of the terrifying moment. Meanwhile, backlash against Jimmy Kimmel escalated as Trump and Melania called for his show to be canceled due to a joke he made at the Correspondents’ Dinner.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.
