1967–present
Latest News: Jimmy Kimmel Live! Returns After Suspension
Jimmy Kimmel returned to late night with a passionate speech on September 23—nearly one week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In his lengthy opening monologue, the talk show host clarified that “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” At the same time, he took aim at President Donald Trump’s administration for pressuring the network to take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air.
“This show is not important. What’s important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.” Kimmel said. He later added: “I never imagined I’d be in situation like this—I barely paid attention in school. But one thing I did learn from Lenny Bruce and George Carlin and Howard Stern is that a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American.”
ABC had “indefinitely” suspended the comedian’s long-running show after he suggested Kirk’s accused murderer, Tyler Robinson, was part of “the MAGA gang.”
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” Kimmel said on September 15.
ABC pulled the show from the air two days later after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to take action against the network and its affiliates on the Benny Johnson Show. “Frankly, when you see stuff like this—I mean, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said during the podcast interview. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Following Carr’s warning, Nexstar, which owns more than two dozen ABC affiliate channels, announced it would pull the 57-year-old host’s show from the air, prompting another affiliate owner Sinclair and ABC, itself, to follow suit. In response, the FCC head thanked Nexstar for “doing the right thing,” adding that “local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest.”
The decision quickly drew outrage, with several Hollywood unions that represent employees on the show criticizing it as an attack on free speech and the First Amendment. Even former President Barack Obama weighed in on the matter, posting on X (formerly Twitter) that the Trump administration has taken cancel culture “to a new and dangerous level.”
On September 22, ABC’s parent company, Disney, announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! would resume broadcasting. “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in a statement. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.” Despite this, both Nexstar and Sinclair have opted to continue pre-empting the show.
Who Is Jimmy Kimmel?
Jimmy Kimmel has hosted the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! for more than 20 years. The Emmy winner started his career as a radio host before making the leap to television in 1997 as the host of the game show Win Ben Stein’s Money. Two years later, he established a production company called Jackhole Industries. Once he had several hit shows under his belt, ABC showed an interest in him as a potential late night host. Jimmy Kimmel Live! hit the air in 2003 and, to date, is ABC’s longest-running late-night talk show in its history.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: James Christian Kimmel
BORN: November 13, 1967
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
SPOUSE: Gina Maddy (1988–2002) and Molly McNearney (2013–present)
CHILDREN: Kevin, Katherine, Jane, and William
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio
Early Life
Jimmy Kimmel was born James Christian Kimmel on November 13, 1967, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. His parents, Jim and Joan, went on to have two more children, Jonathan and Jill.
When Kimmel was 9 years old, the family moved to Las Vegas. Young Kimmel proved to be a meticulous artist and an excellent student, earning straight As throughout high school. It was during his teenage years that Kimmel discovered his idol: David Letterman.
His first real foray into performance was as a college radio DJ. After testing the airwaves at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Arizona State University, Kimmel began his professional radio career at age 21. He bounced from market to market in cities like Seattle, Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona. Kimmel eventually found a home at Los Angeles’s famed KROQ, working as “Jimmy the Sports Guy” on The Kevin and Bean Show.
TV Host: Win Ben Stein’s Money and The Man Show
In 1997, Kimmel made the leap to television, debuting on the small screen as the host of the Comedy Central game show Win Ben Stein’s Money. He provided a comic counterpoint for the show’s eponymous challenger. Stein and Kimmel won a 1999 Daytime Emmy for Best Game Show Host and a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2001.
Two years into his game show success, Kimmel, in cooperation with longtime friends Adam Carolla and Daniel Kellison, established a production company under the name Jackhole Industries. Through Jackhole, the trio began developing comedy shows and pitching them to various networks. In 1999, the company pitched one of its projects, The Man Show, to Comedy Central. Billed as the “anti-Oprah,” the half-hour comedy show glorified testosterone and featured beer chugging, models bouncing on trampolines, and unabashed toilet humor. Hitting new heights in puerile comedy, the show was a runaway success for the network and led to Kimmel’s frequent appearances as a commentator on Fox NFL Sunday.
After their Man Show achievements, Kimmel and his company created the 2002 show, Crank Yankers, on Comedy Central. The show depicted puppets acting out previously recorded prank phone calls voiced by comic celebrities such as David Alan Grier, Dane Cook, Seth MacFarlane, Wanda Sykes, Sarah Silverman, and even Kimmel’s own children. Other shows followed such as the Sports Show with Norm Macdonald and The Andy Milonakis Show.
Kimmel stepped away from game shows for an extended period, but in April 2020, he helped revive Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The game show now features celebrity contestants who seek to win money for a charity of their choice. In 2025, Kimmel won the Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host for his efforts.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
With several hit shows under his belt, ABC showed an interest in Kimmel as a potential late-night host in the early 2000s. Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted on January 26, 2003, to mediocre reviews. However, thousands of episodes later, Kimmel has earned the respect of A-list guests and beat out rival late-night talk shows in the ratings. Jimmy Kimmel Live! has additionally won three Emmy Awards
Over the show’s decades-long run, ABC has repeatedly extended Kimmel’s contract due to his continued success as a host. In 2012, the network announced that it would move Jimmy Kimmel Live! to an earlier time slot to compete against NBC’s The Tonight Show, then hosted by Jay Leno. Like his late-night talk show rivals, Kimmel took to hosting a stripped-down version of his show from home during the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. Each quarantine edition raised money for a different charitiable organization.
Kimmel and his sometimes-edgy remarks have led to several public feuds. In September 2013, Kimmel aired a spoof of an interview that rapper Kanye West had with the BBC. In response, West released a tirade of tweets about Kimmel. Afterward, the late-night host announced he spoke to West on the phone, who told him his life would be much better if he apologized. Kimmel later brought the rapper on his show, where the two resolved their very public Twitter war. In another case, Kimmel found himself at odds with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Kimmel hasn’t shied away from using his platform to express disdain for certain public figures, including former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who saw allegations of sexual misconduct surface when he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2017. When Moore suggested on Twitter (now X) that they could settle their differences “man to man,” Kimmel told his audience that he was more than happy to accept that challenge.
In September 2025, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely after the comedian suggested the suspected murderer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was part of “the MAGA gang.” The decision came after the network faced pushback from FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Nearly a week later, ABC resumed its broadcast. However, two companies who own a collective 66 ABC affiliate stations have continued to block the late-night show for airing.
Hosting the Emmys and Oscars
Nearly a decade into his late-night talk show, Kimmel was offered one of the most coveted hosting gigs in entertainment: the Primetime Emmy Awards. He earned positive reviews for his work during the 2012 ceremony and returned to host the Emmys in 2016 and 2020.
Kimmel has also hosted the Academy Awards numerous times. His first turn was in 2017, and he immediately returned to host the 90th annual ceremony the following year. He then hosted the Oscars in 2023 and 2024. Also in 2024, Kimmel won an Emmy when the Oscars broadcast was named that year’s Outstanding Live Variety Special.
For now, it seems Kimmel is stepping back from awards hosting. He declined to emcee the 2025 Oscars, citing his desire to focus his energies elsewhere. “I’m all in when it comes to something like the Oscars,” Kimmel shared on the podcast Politickin’ in August 2024. “I think about it in the morning and at night, and you know, I have ideas, I want to work on them. And then... my nightly show seems like a nuisance sometimes.”
Wife and Kids
Kimmel is married Molly McNearney, who serves as an executive producer and co-head writer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The couple met through their work on the late-night show and began dating in 2009.
In August 2012, the couple announced their engagement, and they held their wedding in July 2013. Kimmel and McNearney have two children together. Their daughter, Jane, was born in July 2014 followed by their son, William or “Billy,” in April 2017.
Kimmel is also a father to two children—Kevin and Katherine—with his first wife, Gina Maddy. Kimmel and Maddy were college sweethearts who married in 1988. However, as the TV host’s career thrived, his marriage began to dissolve. Maddy filed for divorce in 2002.
In the wake of the split, Kimmel became closer to friend and his Crank Yankers co-star Sarah Silverman. The two began dating shortly thereafter, making an alternately sweet and antagonistic team with an unusual penchant for sharing personal details in a highly public way. Kimmel and Silverman briefly split in 2008, and after reuniting later that year, the couple broke up a second and final time in 2009.
Shortly after the breakup, Kimmel discussed their parting on The View. When asked why the relationship ended, he said: “What do you mean, what happened? Look at me. What do you think happened? I’m a 41-year-old man with a bra filled with Koosh balls. I’m an imbecile. She couldn’t date an imbecile anymore.” Kimmel and Silverman remain close friends.
Healthcare Advocate
For many years, Kimmel has been outspoken in his support for healthcare access. The cause took on particular importance for the talk show host after his son Billy was born with a rare congenital heart defect. Kimmel revealed his son’s diagnosis in an emotional monologue not long after Billy’s birth in 2017. In addition to sharing that Billy underwent open heart surgery three days after his birth, Kimmel used the opportunity to talk about the importance of affordable healthcare in the United States and coverage of pre-existing conditions.
“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” he said. “I think that’s something that whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”
That September, Kimmel made headlines again when Republican lawmakers attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act through the Graham-Cassidy Bill. Kimmel called out Cassidy, saying the Louisiana senator “just lied right to my face,” in reference to when the politician had recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and discussed healthcare issues.
Kimmel added: “I don’t know what happened to Bill Cassidy. But when he was on this publicity tour, he listed his demands for a healthcare bill very clearly. These were his words. He said he wants coverage for all, no discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, lower premiums for middle-class families, and no lifetime caps. Guess what? The new bill does none of those things.”
In an unprecedented move, especially for a late night talk show host, Kimmel encouraged viewers to call their representatives on Capitol Hill to vote the bill down. A media firestorm ensued, with politicians and pundits all reacting to the late night host’s takedown on Cassidy and commentary in the healthcare debate.
Kimmel has continued to share updates about Billy’s health over the years, particularly when they require him to step away from his show. After a second surgery late in 2017, Kimmel brought his son on TV and shared the 7-month-old was “doing great” just one week after surgery. He went on to thank the doctors at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles and again turned his ire toward politicians for not funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in a recently approved Senate tax bill. Billy had a third successful heart surgery in May 2024.
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Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
