Jimmy Kimmel
American comedian and talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel, 2018.
Jimmy Kimmel
American comedian and talk-show host
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External Websites NPR - Jimmy Kimmel: Making Late Night a Family Affair The MY HERO Project - Biography of Jimmy Kimmel PBS - Finding Your Roots - Jimmy Kimmel Hollywood Walk of Fame - Biography of Jimmy Kimmel Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Jimmy Kimmel - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) Also known as: James Christian Kimmel Written by Written by Rachel Cole Rachel Cole is a librarian with Northwestern University’s Transportation Library. Rachel Cole Fact-checked by Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they he extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep. 20, 2025 •Article History Quick Facts In full: James Christian Kimmel Born: November 13, 1967, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. (age 57) See all related content Top Questions What is Jimmy Kimmel best known for?Jimmy Kimmel is best known as the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that began airing in 2003. He previously cohosted Win Ben Stein’s Money and The Man Show. Kimmel also hosted the Oscar and Emmy ceremonies on numerous occasions.
Why was Jimmy Kimmel Live! taken off the air in 2025?On September 17, 2025, ABC announced that it was “indefinitely” taking Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air following comments Kimmel made regarding the suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During his monologue on September 15, Kimmel had said that the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.” Two days later Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, called the remarks “the sickest conduct possible.” And he suggested that his agency would attempt to revoke ABC affiliate licenses if action was not taken against Kimmel.
News • In battles over free speech, comedians are often center stage • Sep. 20, 2025, 1:23 PM ET (AP) The Latest: Trump overhauls H-1B visa for high-skilled workers and adds new $100,000 annual fee • Sep. 19, 2025, 9:13 PM ET (AP) A timeline of Trump's fights with media, including Jimmy Kimmel and The New York Times • Sep. 19, 2025, 2:20 PM ET (AP) Late-night shows address Jimmy Kimmel suspension with humor and solidarity • Sep. 19, 2025, 11:11 AM ET (AP) As controversy swirls around late-night TV, here's what a new poll shows about who still watches • Sep. 19, 2025, 8:50 AM ET (AP)Jimmy Kimmel (born November 13, 1967, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) is an American late-night talk-show personality, producer, and comedian best known as the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003– ). He also is a frequent host of various award ceremonies.
Early lifeKimmel was raised in Las Vegas, where he spent his childhood cultivating a love of pranks and practical jokes, which served as unlikely training for future television hijinks. Inspired by his idol Did Letterman, Kimmel began hosting an interview show on a local college radio station while he was still in high school. He briefly attended college—first at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and then at Arizona State University—before leing to host The Me and Him Show, a morning radio program in Seattle. It was the first in a succession of radio jobs he would be fired from over the next several years, a fate he blamed on his constant office pranks.
Win Ben Stein’s Money and The Man ShowIn 1994 Kimmel joined The Kevin & Bean Show, a morning show on Los Angeles radio station KROQ, first as a producer and then as an on-air personality blending sports and humor as Jimmy the Sports Guy. From 1997 to 2002 Kimmel appeared alongside Ben Stein on the television game show Win Ben Stein’s Money. Kimmel’s adolescent sense of humor complemented Stein’s dry delivery, and the cohosts were awarded the Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding game-show host in 1999.
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Beginning in 1999, Kimmel and Adam Carolla cohosted The Man Show, a talk show aimed at young male audiences with a mix of scantily clad women and irreverent humor. It developed a dedicated following over the following four years, becoming one of the most successful shows on the Comedy Central network. During that period Kimmel, Carolla, and Daniel Kellison formed the production company Jackhole Industries and produced such hits as the puppet prank-call show Crank Yankers (2002–07).
Jimmy Kimmel Live!Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted in 2003 after Kimmel was selected over several other popular potential hosts to fill the ABC television network’s 12:05 am time slot. The show was slow to take off, initially suffering from low ratings and difficulty attracting guests, as Kimmel worked to shed the frat-boy image he had established as a host of The Man Show. However, he differentiated himself from late-night rivals Letterman and Jay Leno with his show’s edgy content, and he gradually attracted a large following, particularly among younger viewers. Popular recurring comedy segments included “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets,” in which celebrities read aloud insulting comments written about them on Twitter, and “This Week in Unnecessary Censorship,” where innocuous words were bleeped out of clips as though they were profanities. Kimmel also included his family members Cousin Sal and Aunt Chippy in several recurring bits, many of which involved pranks that he played as a child. In 2013 ABC moved Jimmy Kimmel Live! to an earlier time slot, where it competed directly with The Tonight Show and The Late Show with Did Letterman.
In September 2025, ABC announced that it was taking Kimmel’s show off the air “indefinitely” in response to comments Kimmel made regarding the suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Other workKimmel appeared in films and TV shows, often portraying himself. He also lent his voice to the animated comedies The Boss Baby (2017) and The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021). In addition, he hosted various awards shows, including the Emmys (2012, 2016, and 2020) and the Oscars (2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024). In 2020 he became host of a celebrity version of the prime-time game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
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Rachel Cole The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica