Kimmel set to return despite strike

• Tweet

NEW YORK, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. late-night TV talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel is reportedly heading back to work despite the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

The announcement came a day after NBC late-night stars Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien said they would go back to work Jan. 2. ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is expected to resume production the same day, The Hollywood Reporter said.

"Though it makes me sick to do so without my writers, there are more than 100 people whose financial well-being depends on our show," Kimmel said in a statement. "It is time to go back to work. I support my colleagues and friends in the WGA completely and hope this ends both fairly and soon."

NBC's Carson Daly was back on the air earlier this month but a decision hasn't been made regarding when late-night hosts David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will return, the trade paper said.

The shows have been in reruns since the WGA strike began Nov. 5.