Karan Johar says he isn’t returning to host a celebrity chat show: “I am not coming back in this avatar anytime soon.” Koffee With Karan is ending with its ninth season.
Johar still speaks warmly of the show. In an interview with Anupama Chopra for Hollywood Reporter India, he said:
I have too much love for the show, and respect for the platform for giving me the opportunity to do this season after season. But, I am not coming back in this avatar anytime soon.
Karan Johar, filmmaker and host of Koffee With Karan
He added that Koffee is an IP that “can be with anyone”, but he hasn’t “left this zone of my life to start it all over again”. He’s happy to do things that don’t require him “to make guest combinations, calls and do the heavy lifting”, and he’s open to other formats, including a captive reality show. Johar adds: “Never say never, but this zone I am not visiting in the near future.”
The reason is directing. Variety quotes Johar saying he wants to spend “the next decade of my life directing more movies… telling many more stories”. The 54-year-old has a target of at least three directed features by the time he turns 60. The show debuted on Star World in 2004 with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as its first guests, and it ends after 22 years, 8 seasons, and 161 episodes. Tbreak covered the announcement of the final season in September.
The finale and what’s left of season 9
Asked about Khan’s return for the finale, Johar gave a non-committal answer: “No denial and no acceptance. Nothing revealed!”
Season 9 streams on JioHotstar from 14 October. Daily Jagran lists the guests so far as Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Vijay Deverakonda, and Rashmika Mandanna. Johar has shot an episode with Tanmay Bhat, Samay Raina, and Farah Khan, and expects them to “attack me more than I am capable of doing to them.”
A new show from his own banner?
A Mid-Day report, as relayed by NewsBytes, says Johar is considering a new chat show owned by his own banner, because JioHotstar holds the rights to Koffee With Karan. That conflicts with his on-record words to THR India.
What he’s directing next
NewsBytes reports that Johar has two films lined up for 2027, a family saga and a love story. His production house, Dharma Productions, also has Udta Teer with Ayushmann Khurrana, which releases on 23 October 2026.
