Jimmy Kimmel has been a staple of late-night television for greater than 20 years — but he’s undecided he’s done just yet.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host, 55, said he was able to take a step back from his emceeing duties. But when the Author’s Strike went down earlier this 12 months, he decided to remain on the air.
The comedian revealed why he modified his mind on the recent premiere episode of his limited Spotify podcast series Strike Force Five, alongside fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Seth Meyers.
“I used to be very intent on retiring right across the time where the strike began,” Kimmel said.
“And now, I realize, oh yeah, it’s sort of nice to work. You understand when you’re working, you concentrate on not working.”
Meyers, 49, then inquired, “C’mon, you’re the Tom Brady of late night…you might have feigned retirement…. Are we to take you at your word?”
But “The Serious Goose” creator stayed firm: “I used to be serious, I used to be very, very serious.”
He then joked how he likes to have a summer hiatus every 12 months and to “receives a commission” for it.
All late-night shows were forced to shut down in May when the Hollywood strike began.
Hundreds of film and TV writers have been heading to the picket lines across Recent York and California since late spring to fight for pay increases.
Kimmel and the remaining of his talk show bros created “Strike Force Five” as a response to the strike.
“This past May, the hosts of 5 major late-night talk shows had an idea: to fulfill every week to debate the complexities behind the continued Hollywood strikes,” a press release explained concerning the idea of the radio program. “What ensued was a series of hilarious and compelling conversations.”
Proceeds from the podcast will likely be going to the staff on each of the late-night hosts’ shows who’re out of labor. The show is slated to run for at the very least 12 episodes.
Just before the strike went into effect, Fallon, 48, described how much he loved writing for TV during an episode of his talk program, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“I really like writing. I really like writing for TV. I really like writing this show,” the “Saturday Night Live” alum said. “I really like that we get to are available with an idea for what we would like to do each day and we get to work on all of it afternoon after which I actually have the pleasure of coming out here.”
“Nobody is entitled to a job in show business,” he continued. “But for those individuals who have a job, they’re entitled to fair compensation. They’re entitled to make a living. I feel it’s a really reasonable demand that’s being set out by the guild. And I support those demands.”
