Jimmy Kimmel is television’s late night bad boy, a resolutely out-of-shape pudge who shamelessly exploits his man boobs for comedic material.
Okay, he’s sort of a bad boy, since ABC leashed the show after a drunken debut five years ago with Snoop Dog. (The studio audience and guests were allowed to drink on set but one audience member threw up back stage, so ABC quashed the “innovation” after only a few days.)
But Kimmel somehow still manages, with the help of a lot of bleeping, to push the broadcast network envelope a little.
Last night (Thursday), ABC gave him 90 minutes to celebrate the 1000th episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The guest list – Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria (a little in-house promotion foisted on the show by ABC), Richard Simmons and Kid Rock – weren’t the guests I expected for such a momentous occasion.
No matter. Kimmel always entertains.
Recapping the lead up to Jimmy’s 1000th (imagine lots of bleeping here):
- Kimmel’s girlfriend, comedian Sarah Silverman, pours accelerant on Kimmel’s long-running gag in which he bumps Matt Damon at the end of the show, claiming to have run out of time.
- Silverman "confesses" she’s nailing Matt Damon in a now-famous (at least ten million views) on Youtube etc. music vid, “I’m F*cking Matt Damon.”
- Kimmel fights back, insisting that if Damon has the audacity to “take something I love from me, than you can damn well bet I’m going to take something you love from you, too.” The result: a competing music vid, “I’m F*cking Ben Affleck.”
- Outfitted as tennis-playing preppies, the very picture of blue-blood bliss, Sarah and Matt then take out a full page ad in Variety, celebrating their love and congratulating Jimmy on his 1000th.
Kimmel’s "I’m F*cking Ben Affleck" vid is a “We Are The World” spoof featuring Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Huey Lewis, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Romijn, Macy Gray, Josh Groban, Christina Applegate, Meat Loaf, Lance Bass, Joan Jett and others. There’s a gospel choir and a famous pizza delivery man.
Last night, Richard Simmons tried to help Jimmy get into shape:
The original “We Are The World” below.
