Salman Khan is returning to the coffee couch — and this time, it’s for good. The actor will open Koffee With Karan Season 9, the final season of Karan Johar’s long-running celebrity chat show, in what marks the definitive end of a 22-year run. The premiere arrives on JioHotstar on October 14, 2026, with Salman as the very first guest. It’s his first appearance since Season 5 in 2016, when he shared the spotlight with brothers Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan during the show’s 100th-episode milestone. That episode remains one of the most talked-about installments, featuring childhood anecdotes about sharing clothes, even underwear. And Salman’s now-iconic claim that he was still a virgin. He reiterated that statement during a later appearance, and there’s no indication he’ll revisit it again. The teaser promo dropped Monday shows him leaning into his trademark candour, responding to Karan Johar’s line, ‘Yeh season kahi bhi jaa sakta hai’. With a dry, ‘Jaa hi sakta hai. Ye to gaya hai, gaya hai.’ The makers captioned the clip: ‘One last time... A koffee with the one & only bhaii.’ Fans are already reacting in waves. One wrote, ‘Great guy returns,’ another: ‘Omg, can’t waittttt😭😭😭 not bhai coming back.’ Karan confirmed the end earlier this week in a direct-to-camera teaser, addressing speculation about the show’s future. He dismissed rumours that cricketers would be invited, ‘No, no, no, they’re not invited. They are also not coming.’ He also responded to a caller who suggested the show should have ended a decade ago, firing back with his signature sarcasm: ‘Thank you for asking, but I haven’t invited you for eight seasons, so I don’t plan to invite you for the ninth.’ Since its debut in 2004, Koffee With Karan has spanned eight seasons and 161 episodes, becoming a cultural touchstone in Indian entertainment. It built its legacy on unfiltered conversations, playful rivalries, romantic confessions, and moments that often made headlines. Now, it’s closing with one of its most enduring figures at the helm. Whether the finale lives up to the moment remains to be seen. But the first cup? Already brewing.