Jimmy Kimmel has been a staple on late-night television for the past 20 years, but the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! recently revealed his plans for the future. And they didn’t involve hosting a late-night TV show.
But it seems the 55-year-old has changed his mind.
“I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” Kimmel said on the debut episode of his new podcast Strike Force Five.
Kimmel hosts Strike Force Five with fellow late-night personalities Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert.
“Now I realize, oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work.”
“When you are working you think about not working,” he added.
“Kimmel, c’mon, you are the Tom Brady of late night…you have feigned retirement… Are we to take you at your word?” Meyers asked.
The late-night TV host insisted he was “very, very serious” about retiring, but once the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike began in May and production came to a halt things changed.
“The reason we’re doing this is because we’re financially supporting members of our staff,” Kimmel said of the podcast. “Everyone that works on a TV show is out of work right now, and so all the money that we make on this show goes to them.”
Even if Kimmel wanted to quit show business, he’d have to continue hosting until 2025. In 2022, ABC announced a three contract extension with Kimmel.
READ MORE:
- Jimmy Kimmel celebrates son’s 5th birthday despite his heart condition
- Arsenio Hall was one of late night’s biggest stars — then he walked away to be a father
We love watching Jimmy Kimmel, and we’d hate to see him go!
