Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel
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Jimmy Kimmel photo 1 Jimmy Kimmel photo 2 Jimmy Kimmel photo 3 Jimmy Kimmel photo 4
Name:
Jimmy Kimmel
Real name:
James Christian Kimmel
Who is:
,
Birth date:
(57 y.o.)
Place of birth:
Height:
6'0 ft ( )
Relationship:
married
Namesakes:
Birth Sign:
( characteristic )
Chinese zodiac:

Photos: Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel Biography

Jimmy Christian Kimmel is one of America's most popular television hosts, writer, and actor. He's the host and executive producer of his own late-night comedy talk show on ABC, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", and winner of Critics' Choice and Writers Guild of America awards.
In the photo: Jimmy Kimmel
In the photo: Jimmy Kimmel
In 2013, the comedian received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and successfully hosted the Academy Awards ceremonies in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024. He's also hosted other prestigious music and television awards shows – the American Music Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards – and served as executive producer for several TV shows ("Crank Yankers," "The Andy Milonakis Show," and others).

Critics consider his masterful ability to turn serious discussion topics into comedic territory one of his greatest strengths as a host. However, according to critics, the humor of this Howard Stern and David Letterman fan can often be overly crude and blunt.

Childhood

The future in-demand TV comedian was born on November 13, 1967, in Brooklyn. He's the eldest of three children born to American Express employee James John and homemaker Joan (née Iacono). He has a brother Jonathan and sister Jill. His father's ancestors were German immigrants with Irish and Welsh blood, while his mother is of Italian descent.
Jimmy Kimmel as a child with his parents
Jimmy Kimmel as a child with his parents
The firstborn was raised Catholic, served as an altar boy during church services, and has remained faithful to Catholicism. When he turned 9, the family moved to the world-famous metropolis of Las Vegas, Nevada. There he graduated from high school and spent a year as a student at the University of Nevada. He then studied for two more years at Arizona State University but didn't complete his degree. Later, in 2013, his first alma mater (UNLV) awarded the comedian an honorary bachelor's degree.

Career Development

Jimmy began his hosting career in high school, working in the radio industry. He then conducted Sunday evening interviews at UNLV and its campus station KUNV, and while living in Arizona, he was a participant in KZZP-FM's daytime show as a listener who constantly called in with questions to the radio station.
Jimmy Kimmel as a young man
Jimmy Kimmel as a young man
The comedian's first own show was KCMJ (Kansas City Music Jam) in Palm Springs, California.
Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Stein on the show "Win Ben Stein's Money"
Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Stein on the show "Win Ben Stein's Money"
Jimmy made his television debut in 1997. He became co-host alongside Ben Stein on his comedy show "Win Ben Stein's Money." In 1999, their duo won a Daytime Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Game Show Host" category.

In 2000, he first played a cameo in the comedy film "Down to You," sharing the screen with Freddie Prinze Jr., Ashton Kutcher, and Julia Stiles. He went on to appear in about twenty films and over forty TV series, mostly playing himself or comedic characters.
In 2003, Jimmy Kimmel served as one of the producers and writers of the comedy 'Windy City Heat'
In 2003, Jimmy Kimmel served as one of the producers and writers of the comedy 'Windy City Heat'
In 2003, he served as one of the producers and writers of the comedy "Windy City Heat," which told the story of an elaborate prank on a vain actor. A year later, the film won the Comedia Award.
Jimmy Kimmel became the host of the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel became the host of the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Around the same time, he began hosting his own hour-long talk show on ABC, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which eventually became one of America's premier comedy shows and earned him numerous awards and nominations.
Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon
Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon
One of the signature bits of this show, where he invited celebrities and poked fun at them on live TV, became his ongoing jokes at Matt Damon's expense. The actor supposedly dreamed of being a guest on the show, but the host constantly "bumped" him – inviting him to the studio just minutes before the show ended and suggesting he come back next time due to lack of time.
Top 10 Jimmy Kimmel Vs. Matt Damon Moments
The celebrities' "feud" didn't stop there – they regularly took fairly sharp jabs at each other, practically crossing the line. For instance, in 2008, partnering with the host's then-girlfriend, stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman, they created the music video "I'm F***ing Matt Damon," which later won an Emmy for its originality. The TV host's response was equally "brutal." He presented the clip "I'm F***ing Ben Affleck," about supposedly having an affair with the actor who's Damon's best friend. The creation of this "masterpiece" featured numerous movie stars, including Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Cameron Diaz.
Since 2013, Jimmy Kimmel began discussing political issues with children on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Since 2013, Jimmy Kimmel began discussing political issues with children on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In 2013, the comedian created a new segment on his show called "Kids Table," where he discussed political issues with children. When one of his young guests suggested "killing everyone in China" as a solution to America's debt problems with the country, Chinese Americans were so outraged they took to the streets demanding ABC fire the host. The network had to publicly apologize for the incident.
Jimmy Kimmel and Barack Obama
Jimmy Kimmel and Barack Obama
Jimmy made inappropriate jokes about President Donald Trump, about Fox News viewers, and racially insensitive comments that sparked audience criticism and fueled rumors about his show getting canceled.
Jimmy Kimmel at the 2018 Oscars
Later, Kimmel's show introduced the "Mean Tweets" segment, where celebrity guests read harsh tweets about themselves and reacted to them. One memorable episode featured Barack Obama himself.

In 2018, the famous host played a one-on-one basketball game against Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The politician challenged the comedian to the match after Kimmel mocked him for supporting a losing NBA playoff team. The game, which helped the University of Texas organizers raise 80,000 euros for charity, ended with Cruz winning 11-9.

That same year, Time magazine included him in their "100 Most Influential People in the World" list. In March, he hosted the Oscars again, and in November he founded his second production company, Kimmelot.

July 2019 marked his literary debut with the interactive children's book "The Serious Goose," for which he wrote the text and drew the illustrations. The idea came from a family tradition: he loved asking his daughter, "Are you a serious goose or a silly goose today?" to cheer her up. All proceeds from sales went to Children's Hospital Los Angeles and other pediatric clinics across the country, including the one that once saved his son's life.

In April 2020, he became the host of the revamped "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" But the pandemic changed everything – from April to September 2020, regular episodes were cut to 30 minutes, and the host sometimes worked from his own living room. He greeted viewers with: "Hi, I'm Jimmy, I'm the host of this house... Thanks for watching from your house."

In June, it was announced that Kimmel would host the Emmy Awards for the third time.

In November 2022, during an appearance on Stitcher's Naked Lunch podcast, Kimmel revealed that back in 2016, after the election that Donald Trump won, he told ABC executives that if he couldn't joke about Trump, he'd leave the show.

In spring 2023, he hosted the Oscars for the third time. On August 30, Kimmel launched the Strike Force Five podcast alongside Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and John Oliver to support their staff members who were out of work due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. The five top late-night hosts joined forces to support their teams during the labor dispute.

In March 2024, he hosted the Oscars for the fourth time, joining the exclusive group of celebrities who've had this honor four or more times.

Jimmy Kimmel's Personal Life

The popular comedian is married for the second time. His first wife was costume designer Gina. They were together from 1988 to 2003. Their daughter Katherine was born in 1991, followed by son Kevin in 1993.

After that, Kimmel dated fellow comedian Sarah Silverman until 2009. After five years together, they broke up but gave each other a second chance. However, their reunion quickly ended in failure.
Jimmy Kimmel with Sarah Silverman
Jimmy Kimmel with Sarah Silverman
Soon after his split from Sarah, Jimmy finally found the love of his life. The host's second wife became Molly McNearney, a co-writer on his talk show. In 2013, after four years of dating, they tied the knot.
Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney
Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney
Their first child, daughter Jane, was born in 2014, followed by their second, son William John, in 2017. The boy was born with a heart condition and underwent surgery on his third day of life.
Jimmy Kimmel with his wife and children
Jimmy Kimmel with his wife and children
Jimmy took time off during his son's illness, and his Jimmy Kimmel Live! hosting duties were filled (at his request) by actors Channing Tatum, Jennifer Lawrence, musician Dave Grohl, and basketball player Shaquille O'Neal.

In May 2025, Kimmel became a grandfather when his eldest daughter had a baby girl.

Kimmel's show has basically become a family affair. His younger brother Jonathan serves as director, son Kevin works as an assistant, and his wife's cousin Sal Iacono writes sketches for the show. His Aunt Chippy regularly appears on screen.
Jimmy Kimmel was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Jimmy Kimmel was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Jimmy Kimmel suffers from narcolepsy, meaning he periodically loses control over sleep and can fall asleep at any moment.

Jimmy Kimmel Now

In summer 2025, at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony, Jimmy Kimmel won in the "Outstanding Game Show Host" category for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

On September 15, 2025, in his opening monologue, Kimmel reacted to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and accused the MAGA movement of cynically exploiting the tragedy:
This weekend we hit a new low. The MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterize this guy who killed Charlie Kirk as anyone but one of their own, and they're doing everything they can to score political points from it.
On September 17, 2025, during an interview on Benny Johnson's podcast, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC over Kimmel's comments. Two days later, the head of the Federal Communications Commission threatened sanctions against the network during a live podcast. Media giants Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group announced they would pull the show from their ABC affiliate stations indefinitely.
  • Who has not visited Kimmel! I have great respect for the presenters who know how to improvise and build a dialogue with anyone :)
    2021-04-04 13:48:16
  • A very noble act on the part of his fellow actors was to replace Jimmy during his son`s surgery and host his show. This is what I call humanity
    2021-04-03 19:45:09
  • I loved the Mean Tweets heading. It’s actually very funny but sometimes I feel so sorry for celebrities who read violent comments about themselves.
    2021-03-13 21:37:47
  • Oh, what a racist Kimmel and generally rude... I dislike his jokes
    2021-03-03 20:23:03
  • It is a real talent to turn serious or uncomfortable topics into a joke, thus guests of his program can relax and be more liberated!
    2021-01-24 11:18:12
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