Jimmy Kimmel says he was ‘totally unprepared’ for first episode of talk show

Jimmy Kimmel has recalled the earliest days of his late-night talk show, saying that he was “totally unprepared” with “almost no jokes written” ahead of the first episode.

The presenter and comedian has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since 26 January 2003, a topical chat show with celebrity guests and live musical performances.

Though the show is one of America’s most popular late-night talk shows, hopes weren’t high that it would be a major success at its beginning.

With ABC’s previous attempts at night-time programming suffering from low ratings (Rick Dees) and cancellation after controversial 9/11-related comments (Bill Maher), Kimmel was aware of the low odds that the show would be a hit with audiences.

Ahead of his anniversary special on Thursday (26 January), the host shared his feelings on the first episodes, 20 years ago.

“Those first few years, I still don’t understand why they kept me on the air,” he said in an interview with Variety. “It would have made perfect sense to remove me. But thank God they didn’t have sense.”

Still, he said that he feels a “sense of accomplishment” when considering how far the show has come from its unsure start.

“I think all of us that feeling that way,” Kimmel added. “Especially when you go back and watch some of the old shows and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is very unprofessional!’ Those nights where we thought that was a pretty good show, we were extremely wrong!”

Ahead of the recording of the first episode, Kimmel had been recording a commercial in San Diego, 120 miles from Los Angeles, where the Jimmy Kimmel Live! studio is, the night before.

As a result, he had to ride a bus back to the city in the morning, and did some of his research for the show on the journey.

He said: “I was totally unprepared for the show itself. I had almost no jokes written. I had a terrible cough and was very sick that night. I couldn’t stop coughing moments before the show started.”

However, two decades later, the host has fully established himself as a reliable talk show host and will present the Oscars for the third time in March.