Jimmy Kimmel is an American TV host comedian, writer, and producer born on November 13, 1967. He’s been hosting the show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since 2003 and he’s also the executive producer. You might have seen him hosting big events like the Primetime Emmy Awards and Academy Awards.
Before “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” he was part of shows like Comedy Central’s “The Man Show” and “Win Ben Stein’s Money”. Kimmel has also been involved in producing other shows like “Crank Yankers”, “Sports Show with Norm Macdonald” and “The Andy Milonakis Show”.
He’s well-known and respected in the entertainment world earning a spot on Time magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Influential People” in 2018. As of now, he holds the record for hosting a late-night talk show the longest among all current late-night hosts in the US following Conan O’Brien’s retirement.
| Full Name | Jimmy Kimmel |
| Date of Birth | November 13, 1967 |
| Place of Birth | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television host, comedian |
| Height | 6 feet (1.83 meters) |
| Spouse | Molly McNearney (m. 2013) Gina Kimmel (m. 1988–2002) |
| Children | Katie Kimmel, Kevin Kimmel |
| Net Worth | $50 million |
Jimmy Kimmel Early Life and Education
Jimmy Kimmel was born in Brooklyn New York and grew up in Mill Basin. He’s the oldest of three kids to Joan and James John Kimmel. His dad worked for American Express and IBM.
As a kid, he was Catholic and even served as an altar boy. His mom’s ancestors came from Ischia Naples after an earthquake in 1883. Some of his distant relatives were German immigrants and their original surname was “Kümmel” which means “caraway” in German. He also has some Albanian heritage.
When Jimmy was nine the family moved to Las Vegas. He went to Ed W. Clark High School and spent a year at the University of Nevada Las Vegas before going to Arizona State University where he got an honorary degree in 2013.
His Uncle Frank known as “Uncle Frank” was a regular on Jimmy Kimmel Live! until he passed away in 2011. His cousin Sal Iacono took over co-hosting duties on a show and later joined Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a writer and performer. Another family member Aunt Chippy also appears on the show. Jimmy’s brother Jonathan directs the show and his sister Jill is a comedian.
Career
Jimmy Kimmel’s journey into showbiz started back in high school when he got into radio. He hosted an interview show at his college’s station and later became a popular caller on a Phoenix radio show. In 1989, he got his first paid gig as a co-host in Seattle. He faced some ups and downs getting fired from a couple of places before landing a show in Palm Springs where he brought on Carson Daly as an intern.
He eventually made his mark on TV starting with a game show on Comedy Central in the late ’90s. His charm and humor earned him an Emmy award. He then co-hosted and co-produced a show called The Man Show which paved the way for other projects like Crank Yankers and The Andy Milonakis Show.
In 2003, Kimmel launched his late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC. He’s known for ending each show with a joke about running out of time for Matt Damon. There have been some controversies along the way like a comment during the NBA Finals that got him in hot water in Detroit.
Kimmel’s also known for his funny feud with Matt Damon and a viral video he made as “revenge.” He’s had some fun encounters with Damon on and off his show. There was also a segment on his show where kids discussed serious topics which stirred up controversy and led to apologies from ABC and Kimmel.
In a podcast interview, Kimmel talked about standing up for his comedy during a politically charged time and the consequences that came with it.
In the spring of 1996, Jimmy Kimmel was on TV as “Jimmy the Fox Guy” promoting shows on the Fox Network. He also worked on Fox NFL Sunday for four years predicting football games. Besides this, he made many appearances on talk shows like Live with Regis and Kelly The Howard Stern Show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Late Show with David Letterman.
He appeared on The Late Show five times lastly in 2010. Kimmel hosted roast shows for Hugh Hefner and Pamela Anderson and even appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
In 2006, ABC said Kimmel would host a new game show called Set for Life which started in 2007. He also filled in for Larry King on Larry King Live once. Kimmel has been involved in sports managing a team in a softball game and hosting sports awards.
Kimmel has voiced characters in animated movies like Garfield: The Movie and Road Trip. He also did voice work for shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken. Kimmel’s cousin Sal won a wrestling match.
In 2010, Kimmel criticized Jay Leno on TV for taking back a time slot from Conan O’Brien. He hosted the Emmy Awards in 2012 and 2016 pointing out how a TV producer helped Trump become president.
Kimmel hosted the Oscars several times with his latest hosting in 2023 and planning to host again in 2024. He even played a basketball game for charity with Senator Ted Cruz.
In 2018, Kimmel started his own production company called Kimmelot. He also hosted a special edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and a comedy podcast in 2023 during a writers’ strike.
Kimmel wrote a children’s book called The Serious Goose and started a podcast called Strike Force Five in 2023 with Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and John Oliver to help staff during a strike.
Net Worth
Jimmy Kimmel has an estimated net worth of $50 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Jimmy Kimmel’s net worth comes from his career as a television host and comedian. He earns money from hosting his late-night talk show, as well as from endorsements, appearances, and other entertainment ventures.
Personal life
Jimmy Kimmel is a practicing Catholic and has talked openly about having narcolepsy a condition that makes him very sleepy at unexpected times.
He got married to Gina Maddy in 1988, but they got divorced in 2002. They have two children together Katherine born in 1991 and Kevin born in 1993. After his divorce, Jimmy had a relationship with comedian Sarah Silverman from 2002 to March 2009.
Later in October 2009, Jimmy started dating Molly McNearney who works as a co-head writer for his show Jimmy Kimmel Live. They got engaged in August 2012 and got married in July 2013. Their first child together Jane was born in July 2014.
Their second child William “Billy” John was born on April 21, 2017, but he was born with a rare heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia. This was discovered shortly after his birth when he looked purple. He had successful surgery just three days after he was born. Jimmy talked about his son’s condition on his show and used it to criticize a politician who wasn’t supporting healthcare for people with preexisting conditions.
In 2020, Jimmy found out that he’s related to Martha Stewart through a family history report on the TV show Finding Your Roots.
Kimmel has also been involved in various interests. He plays the bass clarinet and has performed in concerts. He co-founded a festival in Los Angeles and has fundraised for political candidates. In 2021, he sponsored a college football bowl game in Los Angeles called the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.
