Jimmy Kimmel says he was ‘very seriously’ considering retirement prior to the WGA writers strike - but now says it’s ‘kind of nice to work’.
The comedian and writer, has fronted late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003 - but is currently on hiatus due to industrial action which kicked off back in May.
And he says that the timing of the strike made him reconsider his future.
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Speaking on the Strike Force Five podcast alongside fellow talk show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver, Kimmel revealed that he had been thinking of retiring from the show before the strikes began.
He said: “I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started. “And now, I realize, ‘Oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work.’”
Meyers then teased: “Kimmel, come on, you are the Tom Brady of late night… you have feigned retirement.”
To which Kimmel insisted: “I was serious, I was very, very serious.”
He went on to say that he usually gives himself some time off during the summer, but pointed out that such breaks are paid - unlike the ongoing strike.
In an interview with Variety last year, Kimmel said that he understands that ‘eventually’ he will have to leave the show.
He told the publication: “I have moments where I go, ‘I cannot do this anymore.’ And I have moments where I go, ‘What am I going to do with my life if I’m not doing this anymore?’
“It’s a very complicated thing. And there are practical considerations, and there are family and friend considerations and coworker considerations.
“Eventually, I am going to have to stop doing this. I’m not going to do this forever.”
Although Kimmel said he was ‘very, very serious’, ABC announced just last September that they had renewed the show for the next three-years.
Craig Erwich, president of ABC Entertainment, Hulu and Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals said at the time: “For 20 years, Jimmy Kimmel has been a huge part of the ABC family and the heartbeat of late-night television.
“Not only has he entertained our audiences night after night with his sharp comedy, dynamic interviews and irreverent humor, but he has gotten us through some of the most momentous events in our history with optimism and heart.
"There is no one funnier and more authentic than Jimmy. We are so proud of the incredibly talented team at Jimmy Kimmel Live! and could not be happier to continue our partnership.”
Sharing the news, Kimmel joked: “After two decades at ABC, I am now looking forward to three years of what they call ‘quiet quitting’.”
Topics: Film and TV, SAG-AFTRA Writers Strike
Claire Reid