Jimmy Kimmel has to be one of the most beloved TV faces.
Except for being the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, he has been in the group of a selected few who have hosted the Oscars four times.
Although many thought that Kimmel would be once again taking the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood as a host this year, that didn’t happen.
Speaking to Los Angeles Times while preparing for the 2024 Academy Awards and why he agreed to another go-round, Kimmel said, “I did not think I would ever do it again. I did two of them, and they went well — something crazy happened at one of them with a story I’ll have for the rest of my life. I know how much work goes into them, so I thought, ‘Yeah, I don’t necessarily want to do this ever again.’ ”
The Jimmy Kimmel Live had its premiere in 2003. At the time, he was a newbie but managed to make a name for himself as one of the best in the field, becoming America’s longest-running current late-night talk show host.
But is he considering walking away?
In fact, during an episode of “Strike Force Five,” the podcast he co-hosted with other late-night program hosts during the writers’ strike, Kimmel confessed he thought of quitting his show. However, it was the strike that reminded him how much he enjoyed hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“It’s hard to yearn for it when you’re doing it,” he told Los Angeles Times. “Wednesday night, I was very tired and I had all these scripts to go through — I had to revise and rewrite all these pitch ideas for the Oscars — and I was literally nodding off onto my computer. In those moments, I think, ‘I cannot wait until my contract is over.’ But then, I take the summer off or I go on strike, and you start going, ‘Yeah, I miss the fun stuff.’ ”
He then went on to say, “I think this is my final contract. I hate to even say it, because everyone’s laughing at me now — each time I think that, and then it turns out to be not the case. I still have a little more than two years left on my contract, and that seems pretty good. That seems like enough.”
Asked what future Jimmy looks like, the host answered, “He is very accomplished. He speaks Italian, he plays the harmonica beautifully.”
Kimmel added: “He is an expert fly-fisherman. He does all these different things that I know I’m not actually going to do. He’s drawn some graphic novels that were very well-received. He’s very busy — it’s funny, whenever I think of what I’m going to do when I stop working, it all involves more work.”
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