Jimmy Kimmel’s Journey: From Raunchy Comedy to Political Provocateur
In a matter of days, Jimmy Kimmel has emerged as a singular adversary of the American right. This follows outrage over his comment that the “MAGA gang” was looking to “score political points” from the tragic shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, leading ABC to indefinitely pull his late-night show.
The network’s decision has triggered a wave of polarized reactions: elation from Kimmel’s critics and accusations of censorship from his ardent supporters. This marks a truly remarkable chapter for a comedian whose early career was built on satirizing social progressivism and embracing a crude humor style that mirrors much of today’s so-called manosphere found in podcasts and streaming.
A national television fixture for over two decades, Kimmel has clearly evolved. He transformed from a provocateur who reveled in political incorrectness into a consistently palatable M.C. capable of hosting prestigious events like the Oscars and the Emmys. On “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” he has increasingly used his late-night platform to regularly critique the sitting administration and engage with the culture wars that now place him firmly at their center.
Here’s a look back at key moments from Jimmy Kimmel’s impactful television career.
1999-2003
‘The Man Show’
Image: On Comedy Central’s “The Man Show,” Jimmy Kimmel, right, and Adam Carolla offered a raunchy, macho counter to mainstream TV. Credit: Comedy Central
After co-hosting a Comedy Central game show, Kimmel first soared to prominence on the sketch comedy series “The Man Show.” This raunchy satire of machismo often blurred the line between genuine and ironic, with its first episode famously declaring the program “a dam to stop the river of estrogen that is drowning us in political correctness.” Kimmel hosted the show until 2003, when Joe Rogan, the comedian who would become an era-defining podcaster, took his place for its final two seasons. In 2020, Kimmel issued an apology for wearing blackface on the show to impersonate various celebrities, including Karl Malone and Oprah Winfrey.
2003
Welcome to Late Night
Image: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” debuted in 2003 as the upstart in a field dominated by David Letterman and Jay Leno. Credit: Byron Cohen/ABC
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” premiered on January 26, 2003, strategically scheduled after the Super Bowl to maximize its initial viewership. In an interview with Howard Stern leading up to his debut, Kimmel openly acknowledged the immense pressure of launching a new late-night challenger against established titans like David Letterman and Jay Leno. “I think I have to do well fairly quickly,” he remarked. His opening night paid tribute to the 18-to-34-year-old male demographic ABC was targeting, as he boasted about his successful Super Bowl bets and introduced guest co-host Snoop Dogg as “the reason there are 10 network censors here with their fingers sweating nervously on the five-second delay button.”
2005-2017
‘Live!’ Comes Into Its Own
Over the years, Kimmel cultivated numerous long-running segments that became hallmarks of his show. “Mean Tweets” featured celebrities dramatically reading aloud hateful social media posts directed at them. “Lie Witness News” involved Kimmel’s staff interviewing unsuspecting people about entirely fabricated events, such as a fictional appointment of a “Die Hard” character to President Trump’s cabinet. Perhaps his most enduring bit was a good-natured, ongoing feud with actor Matt Damon, which memorably culminated in an Emmy-winning song by Sarah Silverman, Kimmel’s then-girlfriend.
2017
Politics Becomes Personal
More than a decade into his show’s run, Kimmel began to engage deeply with political debates, often in profoundly personal ways. In 2017, after his newborn son, Billy, underwent emergency open-heart surgery, the emotional host used his platform to advocate against health care reform that would deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing medical conditions. In an interview with The Times that same year, Kimmel quipped that ABC had never censored his political commentary, joking that “they had more concerns about my beard.” In 2018, he had a high-profile spat with Fox News host Sean Hannity, who labeled him a “despicable disgrace” for mocking Melania Trump’s Slovenian accent. Kimmel later issued an apology, stating that “the level of vitriol from all sides (mine and me included) does nothing good for anyone and, in fact, is harmful to our country.” In 2021, a separate, long-running feud erupted between Kimmel and N.F.L. star Aaron Rodgers concerning the player’s Covid-19 vaccination status, a dispute that continued to simmer for years.
2017, 2018, 2023, 2024
Dependable Oscars Host
Kimmel eventually rose to the esteemed position of a reliably inoffensive awards show host. He honed his skills with several years of hosting the Emmys before being tapped to lead the Academy Awards in 2017. In his opening monologue, he joked, “This is my first time here, and the way you people go through hosts, it’s probably my last time here.” He was proven wrong, as he went on to host three more times, expertly balancing moments of flattery and sharp-witted barbs for the assembled stars.
2024
Lamenting Trump’s Second Term
When Donald Trump secured his second term, Kimmel famously quipped that he was surely on the president’s “list of enemies.” He delivered a powerful and emotional speech, leaving no doubt about his political stance. He declared it “a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who make this country go, for health care, for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for free speech.”
2025
A Sudden Suspension
In his monologue on Monday night, Kimmel sharply criticized the right’s reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He asserted that the “MAGA gang” was “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.” This comment drew fierce condemnation from conservative activists and even from Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who accused Kimmel of misrepresenting the suspect’s political leanings. Before Kimmel had the opportunity to address the controversy on his scheduled Wednesday telecast, his show was abruptly suspended.