Almost 50 full seasons into Survivor, it's impossible to imagine the series without host and executive producer Jeff Probst. Luckily, we won't have to anytime soon!
Probst shut down any and all rumors about his possible exit in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans.
Here's what Probst told EW's Dalton Ross:
“I'm telling you right now, there's no thought in my mind at all about leaving. I love where the show is. I love our crew. I love the type of people that are applying. It's up in every category of ethnic diversity. Every category is up, and everybody's saying it’s because ‘I see myself reflected and represented on the show, so now I want to be on the show.’ That makes me excited, along with watching young people come up and say, ‘I want to play this f---ing game!’ That’s really exciting.”
With Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans premiering on Wednesday, Feb. 25, there was a lot of speculation and some rumors that, perhaps, this season would be the final one for Probst. I don't know where those rumors or speculation were coming from, but like, it makes sense that a person might want to quit their job and retire after almost three decades on network TV.
I would expect most people probably would do that, but Probst is one of one. And, there's absolutely nothing that has happened in the last — I don't know — 25 years that would suggest Probst is even close to hanging up the shirt with all the pockets and hat and retiring from hosting Survivor. He cares about this show so much, and he brings that passion to every interview, podcast episode, and appearance he does. And, don't even get me started on what he's like during these seasons. You watch some of these older episodes for CBS's Road to Survivor 50 lineup, and it actually seems like Probst is having more fun and enjoying the ride more than he was back then when the show was averaging 15-20 million viewers per week.
Jeff Probst makes his Survivor future crytal clear
Survivor is already renewed for season 51, which means it's already renewed for season 52, as well, just because the show films back to back seasons out in Fiji. So, we're good through at least the middle of the 2026-27 TV season.
While Probst told EW that he's not going anywhere anytime soon, he did admit that Survivor will continue without him at some point.
Here's what he told EW about the show continuing after he's gone:
“Okay, here's my honest truth. I absolutely, 100 percent know this show will go on without me, because it's the format. The key would be who's going to be producing and who's going to be hosting and what point of view are they going to bring to it.”
Overall, it's a hard future to consider. Even as a longtime Survivor fan, I have to wonder if and when CBS feels like it's time to pull the plug. The world is changing. TV is changing. Survivor has stuck around through a lot of major changes in the world of media and how viewers consume. I don't think we've really reached stable ground in a lot of ways, though, and until we get to something more stable, I don't know that anyone can predict how long any of these shows will run.
When you consider the biggest champions of those shows leaving the franchise, which is not on the table yet, of course, there are going to be different ideas and different visions tossed around. Can Survivor survive that? Can broadcast TV survive whatever comes next? We simply don't know.
The good news is that Survivor is probably much better positioned than every single reality TV show to succeed. It's been on for 25 years, and it's still finding more fans. Every few years, it seems, fans find another old season and get excited about a former player. The show has so many former players who have built brands and have value. Until fans don't care about them, Survivor could always go back to those stars and the show's roots.
We'll keep you posted on what's next for Survivor, but first, we have Survivor 50 coming in less than two weeks! Watch the season premiere on CBS on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026!