Jimmy Kimmel

 ( 1967 Births ) 

In 1999, during his time on Win Ben Stein's Money, Kimmel co-hosted (with Adam Carolla) and co-produced (with Daniel Kellison) Comedy Central's The Man Show. Kimmel left Win Ben Stein's Money in 2001 and was replaced by comedian Nancy Pimental, who was eventually replaced by Kimmel's cousin Sal Iacono. The Man Shows success allowed Kimmel, Carolla, and Kellison to create and produce, under the banner Jackhole Productions, Crank Yankers for Comedy Central (on which Kimmel plays the characters "Elmer Higgins", "Terrence Catheter", "The Nudge", "Karl Malone" and himself) and later The Andy Milonakis Show for MTV2. Kimmel also produced and co-wrote the feature film Windy City Heat, Festival Prize winner of the Comedia Award for Best Film at the 2004 Montreal Comedy Festival.

In April 2007, Stuffmagazine.com named Kimmel the "biggest badass on TV". Kimmel said it was an honor, but clearly a mistake. Despite its name, the show has not actually aired live since 2004, when censors were unable to properly bleep censor a curse word from Thomas Jane. During the 2004 NBA Finals in Detroit, Kimmel appeared on ABC's halftime show to make an on-air plug for his show. He suggested that if the Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, "they're gonna burn the city of Detroit down ... and it's not worth it." Officials with Detroit's ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV, immediately announced that that night's show would not air on the station. Hours later, ABC officials pulled that night's show from the entire network. Kimmel later apologized.

In a running gag that lasted for years, Kimmel would end his show with "My apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time." When Matt Damon did actually appear on the show to be interviewed in 2006, he walked in and sat down only to be told just a few seconds later by Kimmel, "Unfortunately, we are totally out of time," followed by "my apologies to Matt Damon." Damon appeared angry, but both performers have since indicated that their faux-feud is a joke. In February 2008, Kimmel showed a mock music video with a panoply of stars called "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck" as "revenge" after his then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman and Damon recorded a similar video titled "I'm Fucking Matt Damon". Silverman's video originally aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live! going viral on YouTube. Kimmel's "revenge" video featured himself, Ben Affleck, and a large lineup of stars, particularly in scenes spoofing the 1985 "We Are the World" video: Christina Applegate, Lance Bass, Don Cheadle, Lauren Conrad, Cameron Diaz, Perry Farrell, Harrison Ford, Macy Gray, Josh Groban, Joan Jett, Dom Joly, Huey Lewis, Benji Madden and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, Meat Loaf, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dominic Monaghan, Brad Pitt, Rebecca Romijn, Mike Shinoda, Pete Wentz, and Robin Williams, among others.

Afterwards, Kimmel's sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, appeared in a spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum, which starred Damon. He was then chased down by Damon, who was cursing about Kimmel being behind all this. Guillermo also stopped Damon on the red carpet one time and, before he could finish the interview, said, "Sorry, we are out of time." The most recent encounter was titled "The Handsome Men's Club" which featured Kimmel, along with the "Handsome Men", who were: Affleck, Ted Danson, Patrick Dempsey, Taye Diggs, Josh Hartnett, Ethan Hawke, John Krasinski, Lenny Kravitz, Rob Lowe, Gilles Marini, Matthew McConaughey, Tony Romo, Sting and Keith Urban, speaking about being handsome and all the jobs that come with it. At the end of the skit, Kimmel has a door slammed in his face by Damon, who says they have run out of time and gives a sinister laugh. Jennifer Garner makes a surprise appearance. As a tradition, celebrities voted off Dancing with the Stars appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, causing Kimmel to describe himself as "the Cerberus the stars must pass on their way to No-Dancing Hell."

In October 2013, a segment titled "Kids Table" showcased five- and six-year-olds discussing the U.S. government shutdown and U.S. debts. When one of the children suggested "killing all the people in China" as a way of resolving the U.S. debt, Kimmel responded that it was "an interesting idea" and jokingly asked a follow-up: "Should we allow the Chinese to live?" In an October 25 letter to a group called the 80-20 Initiative, which identifies itself as a pan-Asian-American political organization, ABC apologized for the segment, saying "We would never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large." More than a hundred people took to the streets in San Francisco on October 28 to protest the show and demand "a more elaborate apology" and that Kimmel be fired. On that day's broadcast, Kimmel addressed the controversy personally, saying: "I thought it was obvious that I didn't agree with that statement, but apparently it wasn't... So I just wanted to say, I'm sorry, I apologize." Despite the apologies from ABC and Kimmel, protests continued. A White House petition was created to investigate the incident and reached the 100,000 signatures needed to require a response from the White House. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus denounced the incident and demanded a formal apology from ABC.

In the summer of 2020, during the wake of George Floyd protests, Kimmel apologized for blackface impressions of media magnate Oprah Winfrey and basketball player Karl Malone in The Man Show, as well as using racial slurs in a 1996 song imitating Snoop Dogg. Kimmel apologized, "I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last 20-plus years" and that "I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me". Footage resurfaced of a 2009 Kimmel interview with actress Megan Fox describing her sexualization on the set of Bad Boys II when she was 15-years-old, in response to which Kimmel made crude remarks.

While Kimmel and ABC had signed a three-year contract extension, running through the 2025–26 season, to continue his show in September 2022, he had considered ending the program just before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes. During a November 2022 appearance on Stitcher's Naked Lunch podcast, Kimmel revealed that he told ABC executives, soon after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, that if he could not tell Trump jokes, then he would leave the show. It appears the executives once spoke to Kimmel about laying off Trump, not to alienate Republican viewers. Kimmel said ABC executives were right in their apprehension, as he estimates he lost around half of his audience due to Trump jokes. Kimmel and Trump's feud is years-long, dating back to at least 2015, when then-presidential candidate Trump cancelled a scheduled appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, citing a prior obligation. On his part, Kimmel has been a relentless critic of President Trump since his first term, declaring, "One of the most fun parts of my job is knowing that he hates being made fun of, and making fun of him." This culminated with Kimmel reading and mocking a Truth Social post by then-presumptive Republican presidential nominee Trump at the closing of the 96th Academy Awards ceremony in March 2024. Kimmel defended Stephen Colbert when his late talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, was cancelled, calling Paramount's cited reasons "nonsensical".

The New York Times reported that Kimmel had planned to address the reaction to his "MAGA gang" comment on his September 17 show. According to unnamed Hollywood Reporter sources, Kimmel felt that what he said did not require an apology, and intended to defend his remark, with a source saying that it had been "grossly mischaracterized by a certain group of people". That same day, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said on conservative Benny Johnson's podcast that the comment was "some of the sickest conduct possible" and threatened regulatory action against ABC and Disney, stating that "companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." Hours later, Nexstar Media Group announced that it would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from all of its ABC-affiliated stations, and shortly after that ABC announced all broadcasts of the show would be halted "indefinitely". According to the Times and The Hollywood Reporter, the decision to suspend the show was made by Bob Iger, the CEO of ABC's parent company Disney, and Dana Walden, Disney's television chief.

On September 17, Anna M. Gomez, an American telecommunications attorney serving as a commissioner of the FCC, appeared on CNN to defend Kimmel's freedom of speech, arguing that his remarks were protected by the First Amendment. Following comments by President Donald Trump backing Carr, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy accused Trump of "using the power of the White House, in this case the power of his regulatory agencies, to try to shut down any speech that opposes him."

Support for Kimmel was expressed by current and former late-night TV hosts, including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, and David Letterman. On September 18, a collective Hollywood labor statement expressing unions' support and concern was issued jointly by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), and the SAG-AFTRA (SAG-AFTRA). Over 400 creative artists signed an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said he was not upset by the suspension, while his guests said "there were limits to free speech on network TV." Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner also expressed support for Kimmel and criticized the FCC for intimidating ABC and Disney, as did several prominent Republicans including Senator Ted Cruz, head of FCC oversight.

CNN reported that Disney employees and staff members received death threats following Carr's remarks and had their email addresses and phone numbers publicized. For the company, the affair then became "bigger than Kimmel" and was "a safety issue for employees and the show's advertisers." On September 22, Disney announced that after "thoughtful conversations" with Kimmel, the show would return the following day. In a statement, they explained that "some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive," and the decision to suspend them had been made "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country." Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns 31 of ABC's 205 affiliate stations, and Nexstar, which owns 32, announced they would not air Kimmel's show; Sinclair said it would air news programming instead. On September 26, Sinclair and Nexstar announced that they were ending their boycott.

Kimmel's viewership stabilized and returned to pre-controversy numbers post suspension.

On Christmas Day in 2025, he delivered the alternative Christmas message for the U.K.'s Channel 4 addressing his suspension and criticizing President Trump.

He has appeared on The Late Show five times, most recently in 2010. Kimmel served as roastmaster for the New York Friars' Club Roast of Hugh Hefner and the Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson. He has appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

In August 2006, ABC announced that Kimmel would be host of their new game show Set for Life. The show debuted on July 20, 2007. On April 6, 2007, Kimmel filled in for Larry King on Larry King Live. That particular broadcast dealt with paparazzi. Kimmel reproached Emily Gould, an editor at Gawker.com, for the site's alleged stalking of celebrities. On July 8, 2007, Kimmel managed the National League in the 2007 Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in San Francisco. He played in the game in 2004 and 2006 (in Houston and Pittsburgh, respectively). On July 11, 2007, Kimmel, along with basketball player LeBron James, hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards. The show aired on ESPN on July 15, 2007. Kimmel hosted the American Music Awards on ABC five times, in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Kimmel guest-hosted Live with Regis and Kelly during the week of October 22–26, 2007, commuting every day between New York and Los Angeles. In the process, he broke the Guinness World Record for the longest distance () traveled in one work week. Kimmel himself has questioned the record, suggesting that a world leader or the Pope must actually hold the record.

Kimmel has performed in several animated films, often voicing dogs. His voice appeared in and Road Trip, and he portrayed Death's Dog in the Family Guy episode "Mr. Saturday Knight"; Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane later presented Kimmel with a figurine of his character on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Kimmel also did voice work for Robot Chicken. Kimmel's cousin Sal Iacono has accepted and won a wrestling match with Santino Marella.

On January 14, 2010, amid the 2010 Tonight Show host and time slot conflict, Kimmel was the special guest of Jay Leno on The Jay Leno Shows "10 at 10" segment. Kimmel derided Leno in front of a live studio audience for taking back the 11:35 pm time slot from Conan O'Brien, and repeatedly insulted Leno. He ended the segment with a plea that Leno "leave our shows alone", as Kimmel and O'Brien had "kids" while Leno only had "cars".

Kimmel hosted the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 23, 2012, and the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 18, 2016. With the presidential election only weeks away, he pointed out the role Mark Burnett played in the rise of Trump. Kimmel hosted the 89th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony on February 26, 2017. He returned as host for the 90th edition on March 4, 2018, and the 95th edition on March 12, 2023. He returned for the fourth time to host the 96th edition on March 10, 2024.

In June 2018, Kimmel was challenged by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz to a one-on-one basketball game after Kimmel compared Cruz's appearance to that of a blobfish. Kimmel accepted, and the game (known as the Blobfish Basketball Classic) was scheduled to take place at Texas Southern University on June 16, with the loser donating $5,000 to the non-political charity of the winner's choice. Cruz defeated Kimmel 11–9, and over $80,000 was raised from the game and donated to the charities.

In November 2018, Kimmel launched his second production company, Kimmelot. He was the host and co-executive producer of a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which premiered for the show's 20th anniversary in 2020. It premiered on April 8, 2020, on ABC. In June 2020, it was announced that Kimmel would return to host the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2020.

Kimmel wrote a piece for Time in 2015 about his love for Letterman:

Kimmel married Gina Maddy in 1988; they divorced in 2002. Their daughter was born in 1991 and their son was born in 1993. Kimmel became a grandfather when his oldest daughter gave birth to a girl in May 2025. He had a relationship with comedian Sarah Silverman from 2002 to March 2009.

Kimmel and Molly McNearney, a co-head writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live, started dating in October 2009. They were engaged in August 2012 and married in July 2013. Their daughter was born in July 2014 and they have homes in Hermosa Beach, California.

Their second child, another son, was born on April 21, 2017. He was born with a rare congenital heart defect, tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia, which was first detected when he had a purplish appearance at three hours after birth. He underwent successful surgery at three days of age. The first guests Kimmel had when his show returned following his son's birth were cardiac surgeon Mehmet Oz, who explained the condition, and snowboarder Shaun White, who was born with TOF. Kimmel later cited his son's condition in a monologue criticizing a previous guest, Senator Bill Cassidy, who had co-authored a congressional healthcare bill, for not living up to the "Jimmy Kimmel test" regarding access for patients with pre-existing conditions. The monologue was widely discussed as part of the wider debate about the American healthcare system.

In 2020, a genealogy report conducted for the TV show Finding Your Roots determined that he and Martha Stewart are cousins.

Kimmel co-founded the annual Los Angeles Feast of San Gennaro, a New York City annual tradition, and co-hosted the eighth annual Los Angeles version in 2009. In 2018, he raised funds for Nevada U.S. Senate candidate (and eventual senator) Jacky Rosen.

In 2021, Kimmel became the title sponsor of the LA Bowl for the year; in 2022, a college football bowl game began to be played annually in Inglewood's SoFi Stadium. The game became officially known as the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

• "Joel the Lump of Coal" from Don't Waste Your Wishes with The Killers

• ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live website