Jimmy Kimmel has stated in the past that he was prepared to hang up his late-night host hat before the Writers Guild went on strike; however, he has subsequently changed his mind about retiring from the role.
The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel, revealed this information during the first episode of the Strike Force Five podcast, which was exclusive to Spotify and featured Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers.
“I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” he added. “It just so happened that the strike began.” “And now, I’ve come to the conclusion that, oh yes, working is sort of good. You are aware that while you are working, your mind wanders to times when you were not working.
Meyers then continued to confront his co-host on another late-night television program, saying, “Kimmel, c’mon, you are the Tom Brady of late night…You have pretended to retire when you are not…. Do you expect us to accept your word for it? However, Kimmel doubled down on his position, stating, “I was serious, I was very, very serious.” Kimmel continued by saying that he enjoys having a break from his program during the summer months each year, but he enjoys it even more when he is “getting paid to get the summer off.”
It would have been difficult for Kimmel to retire before the strike was announced since, the previous year, he had agreed to a three-year extension of his Emmy-nominated ABC show, which would bring it through its 23rd season. If Kimmel had decided to quit before the strike was declared, the situation would have been more tricky. The host made a lighthearted joke about his impending departure from ABC in a statement at the time, saying, “After two decades at ABC, I am now looking forward to three years of what they call ‘quiet quitting.'”
On Wednesday, the five hosts of the late night show announced the beginning of a podcast that will help staff members who are being negatively affected by the ongoing strikes. The podcast will have at least 12 episodes, and each of the five hosts will contribute to at least one of those episodes.
