NEED TO KNOW
During a Sept. 30 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel reflected on how his youngest children reacted to his show being suspended
He said that his daughter Jane, 11, volunteered to sell her Labubus, while his son Billy, 8, took off his clothes
Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to the air on Sept. 23 after being suspended by ABC on Sept. 17
Jimmy Kimmel’s youngest children had memorable reactions to his show being briefly pulled off the air.
The 57-year-old host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is a dad of four. He shares adult children Katie, 34, and Kevin, 32, with his first wife, Gina Maddy, and 11-year-old daughter Jane and 8-year-old son Billy with his second wife, Molly McNearney, whom he wed in 2013.
During a Tuesday, Sept. 30, appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Kimmel broke down what happened the day that he learned his show had been briefly suspended by ABC, including how Jane and Billy responded to the news.
He explained that he learned about the Sept. 17 decision while taking a phone call in the bathroom. After the call, Kimmel brought some of his executive producers, including McNearney, into his office to update them on the development.
News of the suspension came shortly before his team was set to tape a new episode, which meant that they had to send the audience home. Kimmel opted to stay on set “for a couple of hours” before going home with his wife, where his kids were waiting.
“We get to the house, and we’re shaken, you know? And the kids are up. I’ve got two kids. Our daughter, who is 11 years old, says, ‘I can sell my Labubus.’ It was actually very sweet,” he shared, with host Stephen Colbert agreeing that the sentiment was “lovely.”
Continuing, Kimmel said, “Our son just got naked and started running around the house.”
The comedian has hosted his eponymous late-night show since 2003. He said that learning of his suspension, which came amid heavy pressure from President Donald Trump and members of his administration over comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, was shocking.
“I thought, ‘That’s it. It’s over. It is over.’ I thought, ‘I’m never coming back on the air.’ That’s really what I thought,” he admitted to Colbert, adding that his wife noted how “white” he looked while breaking the news to his team.
Rebecca Sapp/Getty Jane Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel, Billy Kimmel and Molly McNearney on Sept. 8, 2018, in Los Angeles
Six days after his show was pulled, Kimmel returned to the air on Sept. 23. In his monologue, he slammed Trump and the Federal Communications Commission and broke into tears while discussing Kirk’s death and his wife, Erika.
“It’s important to me as a human. And that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he told his audience. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
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Reflecting on the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk, he said, “I posted a message on Instagram of the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it and I still do.”
Regarding his comments on his show, he said, “But I understand that to some that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger … I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way.”
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