WHO IS JIMMY KIMMEL?
Jimmy Kimmel
In 1997, Jimmy Kimmel transitioned from radio to television, assuming the role of host for the game program Win Ben Stein’s Money. After a span of two years, he founded a production firm named Jackhole Industries. After achieving success with multiple popular shows, ABC expressed interest in him as a potential host for a late night programme. Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted in 2003 and now holds the record as ABC’s most enduring late night talk show.
Birth and Childhood
James Christian Kimmel, a television personality and comedian, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 13, 1967. At the age of nine, Kimmel relocated to Las Vegas with his parents Jim and Joan, as well as his brothers Jonathan and Jill. As the oldest among three siblings, Kimmel demonstrated a rigorous approach to art and excelled academically, consistently achieving straight A’s during high school. Kimmel’s admiration for David Letterman blossomed during his adolescence. Kimmel’s initial venture into performance art was as a disc jockey for a college radio station.
Kimmel launched his professional radio career at the age of 21, following his experimentation with the airwaves at UNLV and Arizona State University. After moving between various markets in locations such as Seattle, Phoenix, and Tucson, Kimmel eventually secured a position at the renowned KROQ radio station in Los Angeles. He worked as “Jimmy the Sports Guy” on The Kevin and Bean Show.
Television Premiere: Comedy Central’s Win Ben Stein’s Money
In 1997, Kimmel transitioned to television and began hosting the game show Win Ben Stein’s Moneyon Comedy Central. Kimmel served as a comedic contrast to the show’s main competitor. Stein and Kimmel were awarded the prestigious 1999 Daytime Emmy for their exceptional performance as Game Show Hosts, and they received a nomination for the same award in 2001.
- The Man Show
After achieving two years of success on his game show, Kimmel, along with his old friends Adam Carolla and Daniel Kellison, founded a production business called Jackhole Industries. The trio commenced the creation of comedic shows using Jackhole, and presented them to multiple networks for consideration.
In 1999, the business presented one of its proposals, The Man Show, to Comedy Central. Marketed as the “opposite of Oprah,” the 30-minute comedy program celebrated masculinity and showcased activities such as consuming beer rapidly, models jumping on trampolines, and unapologetic crude humor. The show had great popularity for the network and propelled Kimmel to become a regular pundit on Fox NFL Sunday, showcasing his talent for immature humour.
Following their successful stint on The Man Show, Kimmel and his production firm went on to develop the television series Crank Yankers in 2002, which aired on Comedy Central. The show portrayed puppets enacting pre-recorded prank phone calls voiced by renowned comedians such David Alan Grier, Dane Cook, Seth MacFarlane, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Silverman, and even Kimmel’s own offspring. Subsequent programmes included Sports Show with Norm Macdonald and The Andy Milonakis Show.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Having achieved success with multiple popular series, ABC expressed interest in Kimmel as a prospective late night presenter throughout the early 2000s. The premiere of Jimmy Kimmel Live! took place on January 26, 2003, and received lukewarm reviews. Nevertheless, after numerous episodes, Kimmel has garnered the admiration of high-profile guests and surpassed competing late-night talk shows in terms of viewership figures. Throughout the ten-year duration of the show, ABC has consistently renewed Kimmel’s contract as a result of his ongoing achievements as a host. In 2012, the network declared its intention to reschedule Jimmy Kimmel Live! to an earlier time slot in order to rival NBC’s The Tonight Show hosted by Jay Leno.
- Host of Emmy Awards, Oscars, and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Kimmel served as the host for the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2012, 2016, and 2020, receiving favourable reviews. In addition, he served as the host for the Academy Awards in 2017 and reprised his role as the host for the 90th edition of the Oscars in the subsequent March. Kimmel commenced presenting a revival of the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in April 2020, including celebrity participants.
The Personal Life Trajectory of Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel wedded his university girlfriend Gina Maddy in 1988, and they had a son named Kevin and a daughter named Katherine. While Kimmel’s television show and professional life flourished, his marriage started to deteriorate. In 2002, Gina initiated divorce proceedings, leading to Kimmel developing a closer relationship with his friend and co-star on Crank Yankers, Sarah Silverman.
Sarah Silverman and Kimmel entered into a romantic relationship soon after, forming a unique and contrasting duo – one that had a peculiar inclination for openly divulging personal information to the public. Kimmel and Silverman experienced a temporary separation in 2008, and following their reconciliation later that year, the couple ended their relationship for good in 2009. Following the dissolution of their relationship, Kimmel made a televised appearance on the show The View.
When questioned about the reason for the termination of the relationship, he responded by inquiring about the interviewer’s intention behind asking about the events that led to the breakup. He asserted that the interviewer should scrutinise him and ascertain the cause of the incident. In addition, Kimmel asserted that he was a 41-year-old male who wore a bra with Koosh balls. He further described himself as an imbecile, which led to Silverman’s decision to no longer pursue a romantic relationship with him. Kimmel and Silverman maintain a strong friendship.
In the same year, Jimmy Kimmel initiated a romantic relationship with Molly McNearney, who holds the position of co-head writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The couple publicly declared their intention to marry in August 2012 and subsequently tied the knot in July 2013. Kimmel and McNearney became parents to their first child, a daughter named Jane, on July 10, 2014, and their second child, a son named William “Billy” Kimmel, on April 21, 2017.
Controversies
In September 2013, Kimmel parodied an interview between rapper Kanye West and Britain’s BBC on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live! West retaliated by unleashing a barrage of tweets targeting Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel further disclosed that he engaged in a telephone conversation with West subsequent to the incident, during which West asserted that Kimmel’s quality of life would significantly improve if he were to offer an apology. Kimmel subsequently invited the rapper onto his late-night talk programme, where they successfully addressed their highly publicised Twitter feud.
Jimmy Kimmel has openly utilised his platform to voice his contempt for specific prominent personalities, such as former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore faced charges of sexual misconduct during his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2017. Moore proposed on Twitter that they may resolve their disagreements through direct confrontation, to which Kimmel expressed his willingness to accept the challenge. In response to the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, Kimmel, like other late-night talk show hosts, adapted by broadcasting a simplified version of his programme from his home. He said that each episode during the quarantine period would contribute funds to a distinct organisation.
Jimmy Kimmel disclosed in a poignant monologue on his show that his son Billy was born with a grave cardiac ailment and underwent cardiac surgery within three hours of his birth. In addition, he seized the occasion to discuss the significance of accessible healthcare in the United States and the provision of insurance for pre-existing medical issues. Based on his statement, if an individual’s infant was destined to perish and there was a way to prevent it, the person’s financial status should not be a determining factor. He expressed that regardless of political affiliation, be it Republican, Democrat, or otherwise, everyone concurred on that matter.
Jimmy Kimmel, in a highly unusual action for a late night talk show host, urged his audience to contact their elected representatives in the Capitol to oppose the bill. A widespread and intense public controversy erupted, as politicians and commentators responded to the late night host’s criticism of Cassidy and his opinion on the healthcare debate. ABC stated on December 4th that Billy Kimmel, who was 7 months old at the time, had a successful second heart surgery. The father had planned to take a break from work in order to spend time with his family.
Notable celebrities such as Chris Pratt, Tracee Ellis Ross, Neil Patrick Harris, and Melissa McCarthy were arranged to serve as guest hosts for Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week. Kimmel resumed his appearance on the show on December 11, carrying Billy in his embrace, affirming that his son’s condition was excellent merely one week after the surgical procedure. He proceeded to express gratitude towards the doctors at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and once again directed his anger on politicians for their failure to allocate funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Programme (CHIP) in the recently passed Senate tax plan.
In September 2017, Kimmel garnered attention once more as Republicans tried a subsequent endeavour to revoke Obamacare via the Graham-Cassidy Bill. Kimmel accused Cassidy of deceit, asserting that the Louisiana senator had blatantly misled during their recent discussion on healthcare matters on his late night programme. Kimmel stated that he was unaware of the current circumstances surrounding Bill Cassidy. During his press tour, he explicitly outlined his requirements for a healthcare law. Kimmel cited him as expressing his desire for comprehensive coverage, non-discrimination against individuals with pre-existing diseases, reduced premiums for middle-class households, and the elimination of lifetime coverage limits. However, he said that it was important to note that the bill failed to accomplish any of those objectives.