Ted Koppel Is Returning to Nightline for Show’s 45th Anniversary

Another legendary late-night host is returning to their old stomping grounds—and no, it’s not a comic.

Ted Koppel will return to ABC’s Nightline for the show’s 45th anniversary, Variety reports. Koppel began anchoring the news program in 1980—shortly after ABC News president Roone Arledge launched it. He remained at the helm for over 25 years, retiring in 2005. Koppel now serves as a special contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning.

Koppel last visited the show in 2020 to recognize its 40th anniversary.

Koppel will be interviewed on the program as part of a special anniversary episode airing next week. Anchored by Juju Chang and Byron Pitts, the episode will also feature Nightline alumni Dan Abrams, Dan Harris, Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Bill Weir.

Nightline originated as special nightly coverage of the Iran hostage crisis in November 1979. The show rebranded to Nightline on March 24, 1980—and that’s the anniversary ABC will be marking next week. The program’s 45th anniversary also brings a new all-caps logo that pays homage to its earlier designs.

Nightline has survived the changing landscape of late-night over the years—although it faced a close call or two when ABC considered poaching late-night hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno.

When Jimmy Kimmel joined the network with Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003, Nightline was at first unaffected. Kimmel’s show was given the 12:05 AM slot following the half-hour news program. In 2011, ABC shortened Nightline and let Kimmel start five minutes earlier. The next year, JKL and Nightline switched timeslots, pushing Nightline to after 12:30 AM.

The show continues to perform well against its more entertainment-oriented competitors. In fact, the show has out-rated both Late Night with Seth Meyers and After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson over several weeks since the start of 2025.

Nightline‘s anniversary episode airs Monday, March 24 at 12:35 AM ET on ABC.