The penultimate question BloombergThe question the Lucas Show asked Jimmy Kimmel in the final moments of his Screentime interview in Los Angeles on Wednesday night turned out to be the million-dollar question all of Hollywood has been asking for some time: Who will be Disney’s next CEO?
“I happen to really like Dana Walden and I think she’s done a great job,” Kimmel said after acknowledging that it would be “very stupid” for him to respond, which makes sense given his status as one of the studio’s hottest in-house talents. But he had plenty of connections with Disney’s executive class as host of the ABC show. Jimmy Kimmel Live! and a direct line to the top in recent days amid his controversial suspension.
He weighed the latter factor in his decision to support Walden: “I think what’s happened over the last three weeks has been very unfair to my bosses at Disney. I don’t think anyone should ever find themselves in a position like this. It’s insane, and I hope we’ve drawn a really, really bold red line as Americans about what we will and won’t accept them, and I really hope that’s what will come out of all this.”
Kimmel and Walden.
(Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation)
Kimmel’s appearance on Screentime came two weeks after his return to ABC airwaves. Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a brief but monumental suspension that launched a debate over free speech. It all started when Kimmel commented on the September 15 edition of his show about Charlie Kirk’s murderer, saying, “We reached new lows this weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to gain political points through it.” »
The moment went viral and sparked backlash. Brendan Carr was among those who commented, and the FCC chairman went so far as to threaten ABC’s affiliate licenses. Two days later, Disney bosses made the decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live!a suspension that lasted less than a week amid widespread backlash from Hollywood’s creative community that turned out to support the beloved host online and in real life. His return, marked by a nearly 30-minute opening, generated record audiences and allowed Kimmel to express gratitude to his supporters, clarify his comments about Kirk and defend free speech.
At Screentime, Kimmel explained the behind-the-scenes negotiations as his show went dark. “I hate to disappoint you, but they were really good conversations. I mean, really good conversations,” Kimmel said of the discussions with Walden and current CEO Bob Iger. “These are people I’ve known for a long time and love very much. And we all wanted this to go as well as possible.”
That said, the firestorm disrupted their schedules. “First of all, I ruined Dana’s weekend. It was just constant phone calls all weekend. But I don’t think the outcome would have been as positive if I hadn’t talked to Dana as much as I did, because it helped me think. And it helped me understand where everyone was coming from. I can be reactionary sometimes, I can be aggressive sometimes, and I can be rude sometimes. And having those days to thinking about it was helpful. ”
Kimmel had a lot to think about Wednesday night as Shaw asked him about the suspension, his predictions about the future of late-night television, the economics of his show, whether he plans to renew his contract next year and what he really thinks about the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Highlights are below.
Kimmel Thought His Show Might Never Come Back
During his suspension, the veteran host thought his run might be over. “I’m a troublemaker, by nature,” he said, recalling his early days as host of the show, back when the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA playoffs. “I said something like, ‘Well, I hope they don’t burn Detroit down.’ And everyone in Detroit was very unhappy. People were mad and they took me off the air in Detroit. A guy who was really my mentor at ABC, Alex Wallau, said to me, “You know, if we don’t have Detroit, you’re done with the show.” The show is over. I said, “Really? He said, “Yes, you can’t move forward without a major market like that,” which was new to me. So I went to Detroit and did the show for a week and kissed as many butts as I could.
Knowing the implications of losing a major market loomed large over the suspension that saw approximately 70 ABC-affiliated stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group drop the show. “Knowing that, I thought, well, that’s it.” Kimmel added that he was not going to accept the “list of demands” presented to him by these affiliates, which included an apology and a donation to Kirk’s Turning Point USA. “I told my wife, ‘That’s it. It’s over.'”
As Kimmel finalized his return, he knew the ‘spirit’ of the monologue
As the powers that be hatched a plan for Kimmel’s return to the airwaves, they didn’t formalize exactly what he would say on the first night, but instead settled on the “spirit” of those comments. “Ultimately, I wanted to cover all the bases if I could,” he said. “It was really something that had to come from me. It had to be true, and I had to express everything and be honest about what I felt and what I had experienced. I think it probably went as well as it could. I knew it wasn’t going to be perfect. There were always going to be people who didn’t like it and wouldn’t accept it, but the important thing for me was that I was able to explain what I was trying to say.”
Kimmel doesn’t believe the economy led to Stephen Colbert’s cancellation
In July, CBS confirmed in a shock announcement that it was ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In the months since, there’s been a lot of talk about why this happened, and Kimmel said he doesn’t believe reports that claim it’s because Colbert’s show is losing more than $40 million a year. “Because it just doesn’t make any sense. I know what the budgets are for these shows. I know what I make. I know what Stephen makes. I know what the ad salesmen make. I know there are values that no one bothers to take into account, like affiliate fees which must be a part of it when you’re talking about an hour of television every night, five nights a week. I know it’s not 40 million dollars. Is the show losing money? What I don’t know? I can’t imagine if that’s the case, it’s wasting a lot of money. Shaw then asked Kimmel for a “ballpark” figure of what a show costs to produce. “$120 million,” he confirmed. “I know if we lose that much money, none of us will be. That’s about all you need to know. It’s not PBS, you know?”
Kimmel on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Late night can survive – at a cost
Amid industry concerns about the future of late-night shows, Kimmel said he doesn’t believe there’s any reason for these shows to disappear entirely. “There are ways,” he said, emphasizing reducing production costs. “The idea that these shows have to cost $120 million is crazy. They don’t have to cost $120 million, and someone will figure that out. … You could still have the same format, you could still have a band, you could have all these things and still do the show for a lot less money. It’s just that the host won’t make as much money and the audience won’t be as big. But that’s OK, because I like to see these things, and I love the idea. that people can make a living with 200,000 viewers every day or night. And they can talk about weirdly specific things, and people who are really interested in those weirdly specific things have a place to take them to absorb those things. I think it’s great. I love the idea of a 16 year old being able to have his own TV show.
Kimmel reportedly said no to Riyadh comedy festival
In recent days, the Riyadh Comedy Festival has caused a storm of controversy, and the topic came up when Shaw asked Kimmel if Aziz Ansari had been on his show recently to promote his new film. Chance. Ansari was one of about 50 comedians who traveled to Saudi Arabia, and Shaw said Kimmel’s questions made it seem like he was against the event. “I wouldn’t have gone there, but I wanted to hear his reasons, and I thought he had compelling reasons,” Kimmel said. “Nothing is black or white. It’s not something I would do but I understand the idea that if we close ourselves off from the world, or if we isolate ourselves, maybe it’s not good.” Kimmel went on to say that when traveling, “a lot of us” don’t want to be held accountable for what President Trump says. “I’m lucky enough to be well known, and people know where I’m from, but it would be a different situation if people didn’t know who I was. The first thing I’d probably say when I got in every taxi is, ‘I didn’t vote for him, just for the record, so you know.’ I think that makes me understand (their) position better.
