Key Highlights

• Final season: Karan Johar announced that Season 9 of Koffee With Karan will be the show's last.
• Premiere date: The season streams from October 14 on JioHotstar.
• An emotional origin: Karan said he pitched the idea to his father Yash Johar in June 2004; Yash Johar passed away on June 26 that month.
• The journey: The show has run for eight seasons, 161 episodes and 22 years, by Karan's count.
• Not like 2022: In 2022, Karan had teased the show's end before revealing it was only leaving TV. This time, JioStar has also called it the "final chapter".

"More of an Emotional Message Than an Announcement"

Karan Johar is putting down the mug. The filmmaker announced that Koffee With Karan Season 9 will be the celebrity chat show's final season, streaming on JioHotstar from October 14.

"I think we need to talk. Over Koffee, of course," he wrote on Instagram, sharing a video in which he turned emotional while looking back at how the show began.

The Conversation With His Father

"So, this is more of an emotional message than an announcement. I think it was June 2004 when I told my dad, 'I really want to host a talk show. I want to get two celebrities or stars and just have an informal, candid chat with them.' And he looked at me and said, 'Karan, you're going to call your friends, chat with them. You do that every day. Who is going to pay to do that?'" Karan recalled.

"He passed away that month, actually. On the 26th of June, he passed away. Give me two minutes. I'm good to go. And the very first day I shot for it was August 16, 2004. And I am here now — eight seasons later, 22 years later, 161 episodes later."

Why It Matters: The Show Yash Johar Never Saw

Karan's story adds a layer to the show's legacy. The idea his father doubted went on to become one of Indian television's most influential celebrity formats, and Karan began shooting it less than two months after losing him.

Koffee With Karan premiered on November 19, 2004, on Star World. Its first guests were Karan's close friends Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Over the years, it offered viewers a rare, intimate look at the friendships, rivalries and romances of the film industry, and often made headlines.

Two Decades in Brief

"Its Fair Share of Controversy"

Karan acknowledged the show's turbulent moments. "Koffee With Karan has been an extraordinary part of my life. It has given me friendships, memories, moments of complete madness, a lot of love and, yes, its fair share of controversy!"

The biggest came in 2019, when cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul faced criticism for remarks seen as sexist. The two received a brief suspension from the BCCI, and the episode was pulled. Karan later said he stopped inviting cricketers after the incident.

The Last Time He "Ended" It

Fans may remember that this is not the first time Karan has spoken about the show ending. In May 2022, he announced it would not return, only to reveal hours later that it was not returning on TV, and that Season 7 would stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

This announcement is different in tone. Karan described it as knowing "when it is time to let them go", and JioStar's Alok Jain also referred to the season as the show's "final chapter".

"One Last Cup"

"There are some journeys you don't plan to end, you simply know, somewhere deep within you, when it is time to let them go," Karan said. He thanked audiences who "laughed with us, debated us, trolled us, celebrated us and, most importantly, kept coming back for another cup."

"Saying goodbye is emotional, but it also feels right. This final season is my way of raising the mug one last time with gratitude, with love and with everyone who has made Koffee With Karan what it is. So, come have one last cup of Koffee with me. One last time."

What JioStar Said

Alok Jain, Head of Hindi & English Entertainment Business (Streaming, TV & Studios), JioStar, said: "Koffee With Karan is the talk show that brought the biggest celebrities into viewers' living rooms and built a fandom that very few shows have matched. For over two decades, it has given audiences an intimate, irreverent, and often unexpected glimpse into the lives of the people they love watching, becoming a part of a pop culture phenomenon."

What Comes Next

The guest list for the final season has not been announced yet. Given the show's history of opening with Karan's closest friends, speculation about who will sit on the final couch is likely to dominate conversations until October 14.

With inputs from IANS.