Jimmy Kimmel has signed a deal to extend his contract with ABC until May 2027 – but how much do you know about the chat show host and comedian?
Jimmey Kimmel remains one of the most popular talk show hosts in the US – despite what certain presidents might say – and he is set to be on screen for a good while longer as multiple news outlets have reported that he has signed a deal to continue hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! until May 2027.
The deal with the ABC network extends the deal Jimmy had that was set to expire in May 2026.
Jimmy announced the deal in an Instagram post, saying “I am pleased to announce another no-talent year!” A reference to a derogatory comment President Donald Trump made about him earlier in the year.
The deal also comes after his show was briefly pulled earlier in the year after comments he made in a monologue, but was reinstated soon after, helped by how his friends in Hollywood rallied around him.
But how much do you know about Jimmy Kimmel? Here are some facts you might not know.
Jimmy started out in radio
Jimmy’s earliest forays into showbusiness came in high school, when he started working in radio. While in college, he hosted a Saturday night interview show on his college’s station.
When he left education, he got his first paying radio job as a co-host on morning drive program The Me and Him Show at KZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington in 1989. However, this job didn’t last long as he and co-host Kent Voss were sacked in 1990 after a series of on-air stunts, including one that resulted in the station losing a large advertising contract. The pair were later hired by WRBQ-FM in Tampa, but were again fired within a year.
He didn’t want to do television initially
After several more years in radio – including five years as Jimmy The Sports Guy on the Kevin and Bean morning show on KROQ-FM in Los Angeles – Jimmy began writing for Fox announcers and promotions, soon moving into doing them on-air himself.
However, while he was offered several TV shows at this point, he turned them down. But then the chance to be part of the game show Win Ben Stein’s Money came up and he took it. The show was successful – the pair won an Emmy for Best Game Show Host.
This led in 1999 to a co-host role on The Man Show on Comedy Central, which he was on for four years until he landed Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003.
He has a huge net worth
As you might expect from someone who has been hugely famous for more than two decades, he has amassed quite a fortune. His net worth is estimated to be about $50 million, made up of several income streams. His reported salary for presenting Jimmy Kimmel Live! is $15 million per year – but that could be more with bonuses. He also hosts various awards shows and also has a large property portfolio in the Los Angeles area.
He is a philanthropist
Jimmy is also known for his philanthropic work and has raised money for and donated to many charities over the past 20 years or so. For instance, he was one of a group of celebrities who helped to raise more than $1.3 million for Alex’s Lemonade, a childhood cancer charity. He also donated $1 million to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
He plays bass clarinet
Jimmy loves his music and can play the bass clarinet. Indeed, he is so good that he has performed on stage with ska group The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at a concert in California in 2008 playing their global hit, The Impression That I Get.
He’s a huge Star Wars fan
Jimmy has spoken often about his obsession with Star Wars – including dressing up as Luke Skywalker as a kid and trying to re-enact scenes from the movies with friends. He’s not been in one of the movies but has interviewed some of the stars on his show. He has also been known to work Star Wars references into his shows – so if you spot something about the franchise in there, that’s probably intentional!
