Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Season 5 Returns to ABC With Jimmy Kimmel and Celebrity Guests

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel is returning to the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” stage for another round of celebrity competition, as a fresh lineup of stars takes on the iconic quiz show in hopes of winning $1 million for charity.

The fifth season of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” is headed to ABC, continuing the celebrity-edition format that has already produced big wins from teams including Ike Barinholtz and Alan Barinholtz, Matt Damon and Ken Jennings, and Oscar Nuñez and Kate Flannery.

Kimmel said hosting the game show remains a job he genuinely enjoys. “I love doing the show. It’s so much easier than doing my show,” he said.

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For Kimmel, the charity angle gives the competition added weight. “I think what’s even more meaningful is hearing the people talk about the charities because in many cases, it’s a very personal connection,” he said. “So you get to learn a little bit about what these people that you know care about.”

The longtime late-night host also knows what it feels like to sit in the contestant’s chair. Kimmel appeared on the show with Regis Philbin in 2001 and said he walked away with $125,000.

“I have been on the show by myself with no partner and a lifeline who didn’t really understand what he was supposed to do. And I won $125,000 back in the Regis days,” Kimmel recalled.

This season’s contestant roster features several comedians, a mix Kimmel said can make the game especially entertaining. “Yeah, you know what, when you have two comedians sitting next to each other, especially when they’ve known each other for a long time,” he said. “There’s just a chemistry there and a rhythm and sometimes they jab each other, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

The new season also brings in Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who is teaming up with country music star Brad Paisley. Kimmel stayed tight-lipped about the outcome, saying only, “I’m not gonna say how it went, but I will say that he represented his team well.”

Kimmel is currently on summer vacation from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” with guest hosts sitting in.

Watch the season premiere of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Wednesday, July 22 on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of this ABC station.