Jimmy Kimmel recently shared an intriguing story on Ted Danson’s podcast, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” During the chat, he revealed that he almost lost his chance to host his ABC late-night show to Jon Stewart back in the early 2000s.
At that time, ABC was searching for a successor to Bill Maher, who had left his political talk show, “Politically Incorrect.” Kimmel noted, “They wanted a traditional late-night talk show in that slot.” Both Kimmel and Stewart had the same manager, James “Baby Doll” Dixon. As Kimmel recalled, “James was about to close this deal for Jon,” but ABC chairman Lloyd Braun saw Kimmel’s audition tape and thought he could be the one.
In a surprising turn, Bob Iger, then an ABC executive, also backed the choice, leading to a tricky conversation for Dixon. He had to tell Stewart, “You’re not going to ABC, but Jimmy is.”
Interestingly, while Stewart was gaining popularity with “The Daily Show,” Kimmel was still relatively new, having hosted “The Man Show.” Kimmel joked, “If I’m in that position, there’s no question I hire Jon 100 times out of 100.”
Kimmel even confessed he was baffled about why he got the job over Stewart. When he asked Iger for an explanation, Iger humorously said, “You were cheaper.” This gave everyone a laugh, but Kimmel sensed some truth in it.
When “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” debuted in 2003, the early days were far from easy. Kimmel admitted, “I think my vision of hell is being forced to watch my first year of shows.” It took a while for the show to find its footing, but they eventually gained a solid audience. He remarked, “Somehow we wound up getting good ratings,” even as he frequently stirred up controversy.
This moment in late-night television shows how unpredictable success can be. As Kimmel transitioned from a lesser-known show to hosting a well-loved program, it marked a significant shift in late-night comedy dynamics—one that still resonates today.
For a deeper dive into Kimmel’s experience, you can watch the full interview here.
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Jimmy Kimmel,Jimmy Kimmel Live,Jon Stewart
