Jimmy Kimmel was “praying” that ABC would cancel his eponymous late-night talk show.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. Sometimes I prayed that they’d cancel the show,” the comedian confessed to Ted Danson on Wednesday’s episode of his podcast “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” reminiscing about the early days of his career.
“I didn’t want to quit because I didn’t want to let down so many people who worked for me, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Kimmel went on to discuss some of the specific challenges he faced when he first started hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” after he was suspended from the show last month after making controversial comments after Charlie Kirk’s death. In 2003.
“There were many times when we didn’t have any guests. Sometimes we would broadcast live at 12:05 in the middle of the night,” he recalled.
“Sometimes it was 5:30 p.m. and there were no guests for the show that night, so I just had to pick up the phone and call a friend.”
Kimmel was frustrated by the situation and remembers saying, “That’s not the way to approach a show. You can’t run it that way.”
The talk show host turned to longtime friends like his then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman for help.
“I asked her to be in the film many times and I love her,” he said, adding that he also asked his friends Adam Carolla, David Alan Grier, Anthony Anderson and Kathy Griffin to be in the film many times.
“God bless them, because I needed them,” he exclaimed. “And they were always ready to go.”
In the end, the show finally found its footing.
“As he became more stable, we found a way to do it,” Kimmel, 57, said, recalling how he began introducing “running bits” and other elements to “keep[him]afloat.”
Kimmel’s latest comments come just weeks after the network canceled his late-night show, citing Kirk’s “ill-timed” comments.
“‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ is preempted indefinitely,” a spokesperson told Page Six at the time.
The move comes after television conglomerate Nexstar threatened to steal the show, which said in a statement that it “strongly disagrees with Mr. Kimmel’s recent comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in ABC affiliate markets.”
Kimmel’s exit polarized public opinion, with hundreds of celebrities including Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston writing a letter condemning the decision as a threat to free speech.
The comedian returned to the show on September 23 after having a “thoughtful conversation” with ABC.
“This decision was made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and insensitive,” the Walt Disney Company said in a statement. “We have had thoughtful conversations with Jimmy over the past few days, and following those conversations we have come to the decision to return to the show on Tuesday.”
