Jimmy Kimmel said he was ready to hang up his late-night host hat before the Writers Guild picked up the picket line, but has since changed his mind.
During the first episode of Spotify’s limited edition podcast Strike Force Five featuring Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live! The host shared the revelation.
“I wanted to retire right when the strike started,” he said. “And now I realize, oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work. You know when you’re working, you’re thinking about not working.”
Meyers then questioned his late night TV host: “Kimmel, come on, you’re the Tom Brady of late night… you acted like you were retiring…” Shall we take you at your word?” But Kimmel doubled down and said, “I was serious, I was very, very serious.” Kimmel added that he likes to take the summer off from his show every year, but he likes it better when he “pays for it will have the summer off.”
Had Kimmel made the decision to retire before the strike was declared, it would have been complicated since he agreed to a three-year renewal of his Emmy-nominated ABC show last year that would take it to its 23rd season. At the time, the presenter joked in a statement: “After two decades at ABC, I’m now looking forward to three years of ‘quitting quietly’.”
On Wednesday, the five late-night hosts announced the newly launched podcast, which aims to benefit employees affected by the ongoing strikes. The podcast will consist of at least 12 episodes, with all five hosts participating.