After 22 Years, Karan Johar Plans a Chat Show He Can Own

Karan Johar is preparing to leave the couch that made him one of Bollywood’s most talked-about interviewers. The ninth season of Koffee with Karan will be his last, he has confirmed, and reports now suggest he is not leaving the chat-show space entirely. Instead, he is said to be developing an original celebrity talk format that his own banner would control.

That would let Johar own the intellectual property, rather than simply front a long-running franchise — a meaningful shift for a host who has spent 22 years steering some of the industry’s loudest conversations.

Why he is stepping away

In an interview with Variety, Johar described the show as a large part of his identity and admitted that ending it feels emotional. “I want to spend the next decade of my life directing more movies… telling many more stories… so with a heavy heart I am making this season my last,” he said.

He added that the couch has become “synonymous with conversations, candor and well… controversies,” and that the decision is both emotional and personal. At 22 years and nine seasons, Koffee with Karan has been a fixture of Bollywood’s glamour circuit, regularly turning rapid-fire rounds into front-page material.

The new IP idea

According to a Mid-Day report cited by The Times of India, Johar’s reported plan is to build a fresh chat-show property rather than simply extend the old one. The appeal is ownership: a format he controls can travel, adapt and find new platforms without being tied to an existing franchise.

The report points to a now-familiar path in Indian entertainment — shows that debut on YouTube, build an audience and are then picked up by a streaming platform. A new original format could follow that model. For now, no platform, format or launch timeline has been announced.

What the final season is reportedly serving

The guest list for Season 9 is still unverified, but the rumour mill is already spinning. Names doing the rounds include:

• Salman Khan, who reportedly shot an episode on Thursday and could open the season
• Alia Bhatt, possibly alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal
• Shah Rukh Khan with his son Aryan Khan
• Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, and Vijay Deverakonda with Rashmika Mandanna

None of these appearances has been officially confirmed, so treat the list as a strong hint rather than a schedule.

Why this matters for Bollywood viewers

Koffee with Karan has long been less about the questions and more about what slips out between them. Its end closes a format that defined celebrity chat in Hindi entertainment for a generation. If Johar’s next property is built as an original IP, it could be more flexible — shorter seasons, new platforms, and perhaps a different tone — while still trading on his skill at getting stars to say more than they planned.

For fans, the immediate takeaway is simple: Season 9 is the one to watch, both as a farewell and as a bridge to whatever Karan hosts next.

Source: The Times of India