Jimmy Kimmel said he was ready to hang the late-night host’s hat before the Writers Guild headed to the picket lines, but he’s since changed his mind.
During the first episode of Spotify’s Limited Podcast Fifth Strike Forcewith Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers Jimmy Kimmel Live! Share the revelation host.
“I was very intent on retiring at the time the strike started,” he said. “Now, I realize that it’s nice to work. You know that when you work, you think about not working.
Myers proceeded to interrogate the fellow late-night TV presenter: “Kimmel, come on, you’re the late-night Tom Brady…you pretended to be retired….do we believe you?” But Kimmel doubled down, saying, “I was serious, I was very serious.” Kimmel added that he loves getting the summer off from his show every year, but likes it even better when he “gets paid to take the summer off.”
Had Kimmel made the decision to retire before the strike was called, it would have been complicated since he agreed to extend the Emmy-nominated ABC show by three years last year, which will run into its 23rd season. At the time, the host joked in a statement: “After two decades at ABC, I now look forward to three years of what they call ‘quiet resignation.'”
On Wednesday, the five late-night hosts announced their newly launched podcast, which will benefit employees affected by the ongoing strikes. The podcast will consist of at least 12 episodes, with all five of its hosts participating.
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