James Christian Kimmel (born: November 13, 1967)[1] is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, an American late-night talk show. The show has aired since January 26, 2003, making it the longest running late-night show currently on the air, as well as the longest running talk show ever to air on ABC.
About[]
Like many other talk shows, Kimmel has a variety of content, which often includes celebrity guests. He also does a variety of segments, which are posted on his channel. As of June 2021, the channel has gained over 18 million subscribers, making it the 113th most subscribed channel in the United States.
Celebrities Read Mean Tweets[]
In this segment, celebrities will read insulting tweets directed towards them (Example: Ty Burrell looks like Jon Hamm if Jon Hamm was a crack addict) while the song "Everybody Hurts" plays in the background. This segment has been done with musicians, members of the NFL, and NBA.
Controversies[]
"Kids Table" China Comments[]
In October 2013, a new segment of the show, "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 that was "an interesting idea" and soon jokingly asked a followup: "Should we allow the Chinese to live?"[2] The incident triggered discussions and protests on Internet, even from Mainland China. In an October 25 letter to a group called the 80-20 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."[3]
More than a hundred people took to the streets in San Francisco on October 28 to protest the show and demand "a more elaborate apology" and that Kimmel be fired. 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."[4] Despite the apologies from ABC and Kimmel, protests continued. A White House petition was created to investigate the incident and reached the 100,000 signatures needed to require a response from the White House.[5] The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus denounced the incident and demanded a formal apology from ABC.[6]
Blackface[]
Jimmy Kimmel portrayed blackface in comedy skits during the 1990s and 2000s. He impersonated several Black celebrities, including NBA player Karl Malone, rapper Snoop Dogg, and media personality Oprah Winfrey, often using makeup to enhance the resemblance. These performances originally aired on Comedy Central's The Man Show and KROQ radio, resurfaced and drew renewed criticism for portrating Blackface.[7]
In June 2020, Kimmel issued a public apology, acknowledging that his actions were "embarrassing" and expressing regret for any harm caused. He stated that he had viewed the performances as simple impersonations rather than racially insensitive portrayals, but recognized that his perspective had evolved over time.[7]
Melania Trump Joke[]
In an April 2018 segment, Kimmel made a joke about First Lady Melania Trump's pronunciation of words while reading to children at an annual White House Easter celebration. The comments offended some viewers who objected to jokes about Trump's Slovenian accent.[8] The comments led to a Twitter feud between Kimmel and pundit Sean Hannity. Kimmel made comments about the relationship between Hannity and Donald Trump.[9] Kimmel later said "By lampooning Sean Hannity's deference to the President, I most certainly did not intend to belittle or upset members of the gay community and to those who took offense, I apologize, I will take Sean Hannity at his word that he was genuinely offended by what I believed and still believe to be a harmless and silly aside referencing our First Lady's accent." Kimmel said that his wife and son were the subjects of "vile" death threats as a result of his comments.[10]
Subscriber Milestones[]
Note: The following dates are according to Social Blade. Dates may vary by one or two days due to differences in time zones.
- 1 million subscribers: February 6, 2013
- 2 million subscribers: May 13, 2013
- 3 million subscribers: August 8, 2013
- 4 million subscribers: March 21, 2014
- 5 million subscribers: November 26, 2014
- 6 million subscribers: June 15, 2015
- 7 million subscribers: December 30, 2015
- 8 million subscribers: June 16, 2016
- 9 million subscribers: February 27, 2017
- 10 million subscribers: October 5, 2017
- 11 million subscribers: February 16, 2018
- 12 million subscribers: May 13, 2018
- 13 million subscribers: October 14, 2018
- 14 million subscribers: April 3, 2019
- 15 million subscribers: July 24, 2019
- 16 million subscribers: January 24, 2020
- 17 million subscribers: August 2020
- 18 million subscribers: May 2021
- 19 million subscribers: January 8, 2023
Trivia[]
- Despite what the title suggests, the show is not aired live. Instead, it is taped at 4:30pm Pacific Time on the day of broadcast.
- The YouTube channel has been viewed over 10 billion times.
- For a time, Jimmy Kimmel was the most subscribed and viewed night talk show host on YouTube.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0453994/
- ↑ https://ew.com/article/2013/10/28/jimmy-kimmel-live-china-joke-apology/
- ↑ Kids Say the Most Divisive Things: Asian Americans Protest Jimmy Kimmel
- ↑ ABC Apologizes for 'Kill Everyone in China' Line on Jimmy Kimmel Live
- ↑ How Jimmy Kimmel’s China joke became an issue for the White House
- ↑ CAPAC Issues Letter on Racially Insensitive “Kids’ Table” Segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53151764
- ↑ Outrage at Kimmel comments on Melania surges as protest petition exceeds 50K signatures
- ↑ Jimmy Kimmel quits feud with Sean Hannity, apologizes for joking about Melania Trump
- ↑ Kimmel apologizes for Melania Trump joke amid feud with Sean Hannity