September 30, 2026: For more than two decades, the coffee mug has been as much a part of Bollywood’s celebrity culture as the stars sitting behind it. Now, Karan Johar is putting the mug down.
The filmmaker and media personality is set to bring “Koffee With Karan” to an end with its upcoming ninth season, marking the final chapter of a chat show that has spent 22 years turning celebrity conversations into pop-culture moments.
The farewell season will premiere on JioHotstar on Oct. 14, giving fans one last opportunity to see Johar occupy the famous couch that has hosted some of the biggest names in Indian cinema.
Since debuting in 2004, “Koffee With Karan” has delivered eight seasons and 161 episodes, with its conversations frequently spilling beyond the show itself. Bollywood friendships, romances, breakups, marriages, rivalries and revelations have all found their way into the conversation—and often into the headlines the following morning.
Johar launched the series on Star World with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as his first guests. Over the years, the couch welcomed an extraordinary cross-section of Bollywood, from Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan to Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Kareena Kapoor and countless other stars.
22 Years. 161 Episodes. One Last Koffee: Karan Johar Says Goodbye
But the show’s cultural footprint has also included its share of controversy. A 2019 episode featuring cricketers Hardik Pandya and K.L. Rahul became one of its biggest flashpoints after comments made during the conversation triggered widespread backlash. The episode was subsequently removed from Hotstar, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India issued show-cause notices to the players and briefly suspended them from the national team.
The show itself has undergone several transformations. After six seasons on television, Johar initially appeared to signal its conclusion in 2022. He later clarified that the format was leaving television rather than disappearing altogether. “Koffee With Karan” subsequently moved exclusively to Disney+ Hotstar, with Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment taking over production from Season 7.
Season 8 arrived in 2023, opening with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. The streaming home has since changed again, following the 2025 merger of Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema into JioHotstar.
For Johar, however, the decision to end the show is less about the platform and more about what comes next. “Koffee With Karan” has been deeply intertwined with his identity in the entertainment business, Johar said, reflecting on its 22-year journey and the arrival of its ninth season. But after years of hosting, he now wants to devote the next decade to what he considers his other great calling: filmmaking.
Johar said he wants to spend the coming years directing more movies and telling more stories, making the ninth season his last.
The goodbye is understandably emotional. Johar described the final season as his last time on a couch that became synonymous with candid conversations, celebrity revelations and controversy. He also expressed hope that the affection audiences have shown the show will remain part of its legacy.
JioStar’s Alok Jain similarly described “Koffee With Karan” as a rare talk-show phenomenon—one that brought major celebrities into viewers’ homes while creating a fandom and cultural footprint that extended well beyond its episodes.
And that may be the show’s most enduring achievement.
Long before celebrity interviews became social-media fuel, “Koffee With Karan” understood the entertainment value of putting famous people together, giving them a comfortable couch, a provocative question and enough room to say something unexpected.
Now, after 22 years, eight seasons and 161 episodes, Johar is preparing for one final pour. The coffee may be going cold—but the conversations it sparked are likely to remain part of Bollywood’s pop-culture archive for years to come.