Jimmy Kimmel was ‘very determined to retire’ before WGA strike began – Hollywood Reporter

Jimmy Kimmel said he was ready to hang up his late-night host hat before the Writers Guild headed to the picket lines, but he has since changed his mind.

During the first episode of the limited Spotify podcast Fifth Strike Forcewith Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and Seth Meyers Jimmy Kimmel Live! The host shared the revelation.

“I was pretty determined to retire by the time the strike started,” he said. “Now, I realize that it is nice to work. You know that when you work, you think about not working.

Myers proceeded to question his fellow late-night TV host: “Kimmel, come on, you’re the Tom Brady of late night… You pretended to retire… Are we taking your word for it?” But Kimmel doubled down, saying: “I was serious, I was very serious.” Kimmel added that he loves taking a summer off from his show every year, but he likes it better when he “gets paid to have a summer off.”

If Kimmel had made the decision to retire before calling the strike, it would have been complicated since he agreed to a three-year extension for the Emmy-nominated ABC show last year, which will continue into its 23rd season. At the time, the host joked in a statement: “After two decades at ABC, I’m now looking forward to three years of what they call ‘quiet resignation.'”

On Wednesday, the five late-night hosts announced their newly launched podcast, which will benefit employees affected by the ongoing strikes. The podcast will consist of at least 12 episodes, with all five hosts participating.