Kimmel was born inBrooklyn, New York City, and grew up in the neighborhood ofMill Basin.[4] He is the eldest of the three children of Joan (née Iacono) and James John Kimmel, who worked atAmerican Express and was anIBM executive.[5][6][7]
He was raisedCatholic and was analtar boy as a child.[8][9] Kimmel's mother is of Italian descent; her grandparents migrated to the United States fromIschia, Naples, after the1883 earthquake.[10][11] Two of his paternal great-great-grandparents were German immigrants. His family's surname wasKümmel ('caraway' in German) several generations back.[12][13][14][15] He obtained Italian citizenship in 2025.[16]
Kimmel's uncle,Frank Potenza ("Uncle Frank"), appeared onJimmy Kimmel Live! as a regular from 2003 until he died in 2011.[24] His cousinSal Iacono performed Kimmel's former co-hosting duties during the last season ofWin Ben Stein's Money and then became a writer and sketch performer onJimmy Kimmel Live![25] His Aunt Chippy (Concetta Potenza) is also a featured part of the show.[26] His brotherJonathan works on the show as a director. His sister, Jill, is a comedian.[27]
Career
Radio career
Inspired byDavid Letterman's start in radio, Kimmel began working in radio while in high school. He was the host of a Sunday night interview show onUNLV's college station,KUNV.[28] While attendingArizona State University, he became a popular caller to theKZZP-FM afternoon show hosted by radio personalities Mike Elliott andKent Voss inPhoenix, Arizona. In 1989, Kimmel landed his first paying job alongside Voss as morning drive co-host ofThe Me and Him Show atKZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington. Over the next 10 months, the hosts performed several stunts on air, including one that led to the loss of an $8,000 advertising contract with theSeattle Mariners.[29][30]
In 1990, Kimmel and Voss were fired by KZOK and were fired again a year later atWRBQ-FM inTampa.[citation needed] Kimmel went on to host his own show atKCMJ inPalm Springs, California, where he recruited as his internCarson Daly, who had been a family friend since his childhood.[31] After a morning stint atKRQQ inTucson, Arizona, Kimmel landed atKROQ-FM in Los Angeles. He spent five years as "Jimmy The Sports Guy" for theKevin and Bean morning show. During that time, he met and befriended the comedianAdam Carolla.[32]
Comedy Central
Kimmel initially did not want to do television; he began writing forFox announcers and promotions and was quickly recruited to do the on-air promotions himself. He declined several offers for television shows from producerMichael Davies, being uninterested in the projects, until he was offered a place as the comedic counterpart toBen Stein on the game showWin Ben Stein's Money, which began airing onComedy Central in 1997. His quick wit and "everyman" personality were counterpoints to Stein's monotonous vocal style and faux-patrician demeanor. The combination earned the pair anEmmy award for Best Game Show Host.[28]
In January 2003, Kimmel permanently leftThe Man Show to host his own late-night talk show,Jimmy Kimmel Live!, onABC.[33]Jimmy Kimmel Live! was created as a permanent replacement forPolitically Incorrect,[34][35][36] which ABC canceled in June 2002 following widespread condemnation and advertiser boycotts over hostBill Maher's comments during the political panel talk show's first new episode after theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attacks suggesting that the perpetrators were not cowards (contravening remarks made by then-PresidentGeorge W. Bush the day prior to the broadcast), whereas "[American leaders had] been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away".[37][38][39]
In April 2007, Stuffmagazine.com named Kimmel the "biggest badass on TV". Kimmel said it was an honor, but clearly a mistake. Despite its name, the show has not actually aired live since 2004, when censors were unable to properlybleep censor a curse word fromThomas Jane.[40] During the2004 NBA Finals in Detroit, Kimmel appeared on ABC's halftime show to make an on-air plug for his show. He suggested that if theDetroit Pistons defeated theLos Angeles Lakers, "they're gonna burn the city of Detroit down ... and it's not worth it." Officials with Detroit's ABC affiliate,WXYZ-TV, immediately announced that that night's show would not air on the station. Hours later, ABC officials pulled that night's show from the entire network. Kimmel later apologized.[41]
Afterwards, Kimmel's sidekick,Guillermo Rodriguez, appeared in a spoof ofThe Bourne Ultimatum, which starred Damon. He was then chased down by Damon, who was cursing about Kimmel being behind all this. Guillermo also stopped Damon on the red carpet one time and, before he could finish the interview, said, "Sorry, we are out of time." The most recent encounter was titled "The Handsome Men's Club" which featured Kimmel, along with the "Handsome Men", who were: Affleck,Ted Danson,Patrick Dempsey,Taye Diggs,Josh Hartnett,Ethan Hawke,John Krasinski,Lenny Kravitz,Rob Lowe,Gilles Marini,Matthew McConaughey,Tony Romo,Sting andKeith Urban, speaking about being handsome and all the jobs that come with it. At the end of the skit, Kimmel has a door slammed in his face by Damon, who says they have run out of time and gives a sinister laugh.Jennifer Garner makes a surprise appearance. As a tradition, celebrities voted offDancing with the Stars appear onJimmy Kimmel Live!, causing Kimmel to describe himself as "thethree-headed dog the stars must pass on their way to No-Dancing Hell."
In October 2013, a segment titled "Kids Table" showcased five- and six-year-olds discussing the U.S. government shutdown and U.S. debts. When one of the children suggested "killing all the people in China" as a way of resolving the U.S. debt, Kimmel responded that it was "an interesting idea" and jokingly asked a follow-up: "Should we allow the Chinese to live?"[45] In an October 25 letter to a group called the80-20 Initiative, which identifies itself as a pan-Asian-American political organization, ABC apologized for the segment, saying "We would never purposefully broadcast anything to upset the Chinese community, Asian community, anyone of Chinese descent or any community at large."[45][46] More than a hundred people took to the streets inSan Francisco on October 28 to protest the show and demand "a more elaborate apology" and that Kimmel be fired.[46] On that day's broadcast, Kimmel addressed the controversy personally, saying: "I thought it was obvious that I didn't agree with that statement, but apparently it wasn't... So I just wanted to say, I'm sorry, I apologize."[47] Despite the apologies from ABC and Kimmel, protests continued. AWhite House petition was created to investigate the incident and reached the 100,000 signatures needed to require a response from the White House.[48] TheCongressional Asian Pacific American Caucus denounced the incident and demanded a formal apology from ABC.[49]
In the summer of 2020, during the wake ofGeorge Floyd protests, Kimmel apologized forblackface impressions of media magnateOprah Winfrey and basketball playerKarl Malone inThe Man Show, as well as using racial slurs in a 1996 song imitatingSnoop Dogg.[50][51][52] Kimmel apologized, "I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last 20-plus years" and that "I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me".[50][51] Footage resurfaced of a 2009 Kimmel interview with actressMegan Fox describing her sexualization on the set ofBad Boys II when she was 15-years-old, in response to which Kimmel made crude remarks.[53]
While Kimmel and ABC had signed a three-year contract extension, running through the 2025–26 season, to continue his show in September 2022, he had considered ending the program just before the2023 SAG-AFTRA andWriters Guild of America strikes.[54][55] During a November 2022 appearance onStitcher'sNaked Lunch podcast, Kimmel revealed that he told ABC executives, soon after the2016 election of Donald Trump, that if he could not tell Trump jokes, then he would leave the show. It appears the executives once spoke to Kimmel about laying off Trump, not to alienate Republican viewers. Kimmel said ABC executives were right in their apprehension, as he estimates he lost around half of his audience due to Trump jokes.[56] Kimmel and Trump's feud is years-long,[57] dating back to at least 2015, when then-presidential candidate Trump cancelled a scheduled appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, citing a prior obligation.[58] On his part, Kimmel has been a relentless critic of President Trump since his first term,[59] declaring, "One of the most fun parts of my job is knowing that he hates being made fun of, and making fun of him."[60] This culminated with Kimmel reading and mocking aTruth Social post by then-presumptive Republican presidential nominee Trump at the closing of the96th Academy Awards ceremony in March 2024.[61][62][63] Kimmel defendedStephen Colbert when his late talk show,The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, was cancelled, calling Paramount's cited reasons "nonsensical".[64]
In his September 15, 2025, opening monologue, Kimmel commented on reactions to theassassination of Charlie Kirk that "[w]e hit some new lows over the weekend with theMAGA 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."[65] At the time, theFBI had not mentioned the shooter Tyler Robinson's "background, political leanings or a possible motive, saying the investigation was ongoing", though his mother had told prosecutors that he had shifted toward the political left and had become "more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented".[66] Kimmel also compared Trump's reaction to Kirk's death to "a four-year-old mourning a goldfish".[67]
The New York Times reported that Kimmel had planned to address the reaction to his "MAGA gang" comment on his September 17 show.[65] According to unnamedHollywood Reporter sources, Kimmel felt that what he said did not require an apology,[68] and intended to defend his remark, with a source saying that it had been "grossly mischaracterized by a certain group of people".[69] That same day,FCC ChairmanBrendan Carr said on conservativeBenny Johnson's podcast that the comment was "some of the sickest conduct possible" and threatened regulatory action against ABC andDisney,[65][70] stating that "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."[71] Hours later,Nexstar Media Group announced that it would pullJimmy Kimmel Live! from all of its ABC-affiliated stations, and shortly after that ABC announced all broadcasts of the show would be halted "indefinitely".[65][72] According to theTimes andThe Hollywood Reporter, the decision to suspend the show was made byBob Iger, the CEO of ABC's parent company Disney, andDana Walden, Disney's television chief.[65][69]
On September 17,Anna M. Gomez, an American telecommunications attorney currently[update] serving as a commissioner of the FCC, appeared onCNN to defend Kimmel's freedom of speech, arguing that his remarks were protected by theFirst Amendment.[73] Following comments by PresidentDonald Trump backing Carr, Democratic SenatorChris Murphy accused Trump of "using the power of the White House, in this case the power of his regulatory agencies, to try to shut down any speech that opposes him."[74]
CNN reported that Disney employees and staff members received death threats following Carr's remarks and had their email addresses and phone numbers publicized. For the company, the affair then became "bigger than Kimmel" and was "a safety issue for employees and the show's advertisers."[80] On September 22, Disney announced that after "thoughtful conversations" with Kimmel, the show would return the following day. In a statement, they explained that "some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive," and the decision to suspend them had been made "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country."[81][82]Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns 31 of ABC's 205 affiliate stations, and Nexstar, which owns 32,[83] announced they would not air Kimmel's show; Sinclair said it would air news programming instead.[82][84] On September 26, Sinclair and Nexstar announced that they were ending their boycott.[85]
Kimmel's viewership stabilized and returned to pre-controversy numbers post suspension.[86]
In August 2006, ABC announced that Kimmel would be host of their new game showSet for Life.[88] The show debuted on July 20, 2007. On April 6, 2007, Kimmel filled in forLarry King onLarry King Live. That particular broadcast dealt with paparazzi. Kimmel reproachedEmily Gould, an editor atGawker.com, for the site's alleged stalking of celebrities. On July 8, 2007, Kimmel managed the National League in the 2007Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in San Francisco. He played in the game in 2004 and 2006 (in Houston and Pittsburgh, respectively). On July 11, 2007, Kimmel, along with basketball playerLeBron James, hosted the 2007ESPY Awards. The show aired onESPN on July 15, 2007. Kimmel hosted theAmerican Music Awards onABC five times, in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Kimmel guest-hostedLive with Regis and Kelly during the week of October 22–26, 2007, commuting every day between New York and Los Angeles. In the process, he broke theGuinness World Record for the longest distance (22,406 miles (36,059 km)) traveled in one work week.[89] Kimmel himself has questioned the record, suggesting that a world leader or the Pope must actually hold the record.[90]
Kimmel has performed in several animated films, often voicing dogs. His voice appeared inGarfield: The Movie andRoad Trip, and he portrayed Death's Dog in theFamily Guy episode "Mr. Saturday Knight";Family Guy creatorSeth MacFarlane later presented Kimmel with a figurine of his character onJimmy Kimmel Live! Kimmel also did voice work forRobot Chicken. Kimmel's cousinSal Iacono has accepted and won a wrestling match withSantino Marella.
On January 14, 2010, amid the2010Tonight Show host and time slot conflict, Kimmel was the special guest ofJay Leno onThe Jay Leno Show's "10 at 10" segment. Kimmel derided Leno in front of a live studio audience for taking back the 11:35 pm time slot fromConan O'Brien, and repeatedly insulted Leno. He ended the segment with a plea that Leno "leave our shows alone", as Kimmel and O'Brien had "kids" while Leno only had "cars".[91]
In June 2018, Kimmel was challenged byU.S. SenatorTed Cruz to a one-on-one basketball game after Kimmel compared Cruz's appearance to that of ablobfish. Kimmel accepted, and the game (known as the Blobfish Basketball Classic) was scheduled to take place atTexas Southern University on June 16, with the loser donating $5,000 to the non-political charity of the winner's choice.[99] Cruz defeated Kimmel 11–9, and over $80,000 was raised from the game and donated to the charities.[100]
In November 2018, Kimmel launched his second production company, Kimmelot.[101] He was the host and co-executive producer of a celebrity edition ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire, which premiered for the show's 20th anniversary in 2020. It premiered on April 8, 2020, on ABC.[102] In June 2020, it was announced that Kimmel would return to host the72nd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2020.[103]
Books
In July 2019, Kimmel released his first book,The Serious Goose, an interactive children's picture book featuring his own illustrations that tasks readers with helping to make the serious goose smile.[104]
Kimmel's biggest influences in comedy areDavid Letterman andHoward Stern.[108][109] Kimmel has said of Letterman, "His show was just so weird and different. I'd never seen anything like it. I didn't know anyone who had a sense of humor like that."[110] Kimmel has often joked that the only reason he got into show business was to be friends with Letterman; he has questioned why anybody would watch his show instead of Letterman's.[111]
Kimmel wrote a piece forTime in 2015 about his love for Letterman:
As I write this, there are only ten shows left before the funniest, most inventive and smartest man who ever wore an Alka Seltzer suit goes fishing for good. None of us who discovered Dave on our own and claimed him as our own will ever be able to satisfactorily explain to the younger people who didn't know what he did, what he meant, and what he means. I guess it doesn't matter. It's only an exhibition, not a competition. Thanks, Dave. For whatever it's worth, you're my favorite.[112]
Kimmel married Gina Maddy in 1988; they divorced in 2002.[116] Their daughter was born in 1991 and their son was born in 1993.[117][1] Kimmel became a grandfather when his oldest daughter gave birth to a girl in May 2025.[118] He had a relationship with comedianSarah Silverman from 2002 to March 2009.[119]
Their second child, another son, was born on April 21, 2017.[125] He was born with a rare congenital heart defect,[126]tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) withpulmonary atresia,[127][128] which was first detected when he had a purplish appearance at three hours after birth. He underwent successful surgery at three days of age.[129][130] The first guests Kimmel had when his show returned following his son's birth werecardiac surgeonMehmet Oz, who explained the condition,[131] and snowboarderShaun White, who was born with TOF.[132] Kimmel later cited his son's condition in a monologue criticizing a previous guest, SenatorBill Cassidy, who had co-authored a congressional healthcare bill, for not living up to the "Jimmy Kimmel test" regarding access for patients with pre-existing conditions. The monologue was widely discussed as part of the wider debate about the American healthcare system.[133][134][135]
Kimmel co-founded the annual Los AngelesFeast of San Gennaro, a New York City annual tradition, and co-hosted the eighth annual Los Angeles version in 2009.[138] In 2018, he raised funds forNevada U.S. Senate candidate (and eventual senator)Jacky Rosen.[139]
^"Jimmy Kimmel Biography". Yahoo! TV. Archived fromthe original on October 13, 2010. RetrievedMay 20, 2010.Jimmy Kimmel, was born on November 13, 1967, in Brooklyn, NY to devoutly Catholic parents who made sure that Kimmel served as an altar boy, ...
^"Jimmy Kimmel Defends His Catholic Faith Against Attack from Roy Moore". ChurchPOP. December 7, 2017.Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. RetrievedFebruary 8, 2020.Kimmel was raised Catholic, was an altar server, and says he is a practicing Catholic. However, he publicly supports things contrary to Catholic teaching, such as same-sex marriage.
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