Career Timeline of Jimmy Kimmel: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Jimmy Kimmel built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Jimmy Kimmel is an American television host and comedian, most famously known for hosting and executive producing Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003. He's also a prominent figure in awards shows, having hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2012, 2016, and 2020, and the Academy Awards in 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024.
1989: First Paying Radio Job
In 1989, Jimmy Kimmel landed his first paying job as the morning drive co-host of The Me and Him Show at KZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington, alongside Kent Voss.
1990: Fired by KZOK
In 1990, Jimmy Kimmel and Kent Voss were fired by KZOK.
1996: Appears as "Jimmy the Fox Guy"
In spring 1996, Jimmy Kimmel appeared as "Jimmy the Fox Guy" in promos on the Fox Network.
1996: Using racial slurs in a song
Jimmy Kimmel used racial slurs in a 1996 song imitating Snoop Dogg. He later apologized for this in 2020.
1997: Begins hosting Win Ben Stein's Money
In 1997, Jimmy Kimmel began co-hosting the game show Win Ben Stein's Money on Comedy Central with Ben Stein.
1999: Co-hosts The Man Show
In 1999, while working on Win Ben Stein's Money, Jimmy Kimmel co-hosted and co-produced Comedy Central's The Man Show with Adam Carolla.
January 2003: Leaves The Man Show to host Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In January 2003, Jimmy Kimmel left The Man Show permanently to host his own late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on ABC.
2003: Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC
In 2003, Jimmy Kimmel Live! began airing on ABC, with Jimmy Kimmel as the host and executive producer.
2003: Hosting the American Music Awards
In 2003, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the American Music Awards on ABC.
2003: Uncle Frank appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In 2003, Jimmy Kimmel's uncle, Frank Potenza ("Uncle Frank"), started appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a regular.
2004: Controversial Comments During NBA Finals
During the 2004 NBA Finals in Detroit, Jimmy Kimmel made controversial comments on ABC's halftime show, leading WXYZ-TV to pull that night's show from the station and ABC to pull it from the entire network. Kimmel later apologized.
2004: Windy City Heat Wins Award
In 2004, the feature film Windy City Heat, which Jimmy Kimmel produced and co-wrote, won the Comedia Award for Best Film at the Montreal Comedy Festival.
August 2006: Announcement as Host of 'Set for Life'
In August 2006, ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel would host their new game show, 'Set for Life'.
2006: Participation in Celebrity Softball Game
In 2006, Jimmy Kimmel played in the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in Pittsburgh.
2006: Matt Damon "Appearance" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In 2006, Matt Damon actually appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to be interviewed, but Kimmel told him they were out of time, continuing a running gag.
April 6, 2007: Filling in on 'Larry King Live'
On April 6, 2007, Jimmy Kimmel filled in for Larry King on 'Larry King Live', discussing paparazzi and criticizing Emily Gould from Gawker.com.
July 8, 2007: Managing in All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game
On July 8, 2007, Jimmy Kimmel managed the National League in the 2007 Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in San Francisco.
July 11, 2007: Hosting the ESPY Awards
On July 11, 2007, Jimmy Kimmel, along with LeBron James, hosted the 2007 ESPY Awards.
July 15, 2007: Airing of ESPY Awards
On July 15, 2007, the 2007 ESPY Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and LeBron James, aired on ESPN.
July 20, 2007: Debut of 'Set for Life'
On July 20, 2007, Jimmy Kimmel's new game show, 'Set for Life', debuted on ABC.
2007: Guest Hosting Live with Regis and Kelly and breaking Guinness World Record
In 2007, Jimmy Kimmel guest-hosted 'Live with Regis and Kelly' and broke the Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled in one work week, though he questioned the record's validity.
2007: Hosting the American Music Awards
In 2007, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the American Music Awards on ABC.
February 2008: "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck" Music Video
In February 2008, Jimmy Kimmel released a mock music video called "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck" as "revenge" after Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon's "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" video. The video featured a panoply of stars.
July 20, 2008: Performance with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
On July 20, 2008, Jimmy Kimmel was a guest performer at a concert in Costa Mesa, California, with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, performing on the song "The Impression That I Get".
2008: Hosting the American Music Awards
In 2008, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the American Music Awards on ABC.
2009: Co-founding Los Angeles Feast of San Gennaro
In 2009, Jimmy Kimmel co-founded the annual Los Angeles Feast of San Gennaro and co-hosted the eighth annual Los Angeles version.
2009: Megan Fox Interview Controversy
In 2009, footage resurfaced of a Jimmy Kimmel interview with Megan Fox where Kimmel made crude remarks about her sexualization on the set of Bad Boys II when she was 15-years-old.
January 14, 2010: Appearance on The Jay Leno Show
On January 14, 2010, Jimmy Kimmel appeared as a special guest on The Jay Leno Show's "10 at 10" segment, where he derided Jay Leno for taking back the 11:35 pm time slot from Conan O'Brien.
September 23, 2012: Hosting the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards
On September 23, 2012, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards.
2012: Hosts the Primetime Emmy Awards
In 2012, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards.
October 2013: "Kids Table" Controversy
In October 2013, a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! titled "Kids Table" caused controversy when a child suggested "killing all the people in China" to resolve the U.S. debt. ABC and Kimmel apologized, but protests continued.
2015: Writing Piece for Time about David Letterman
In 2015, Jimmy Kimmel wrote a piece for Time expressing his admiration for David Letterman.
2015: Trump canceled appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Kimmel and Trump's feud is years-long, dating back to at least 2015, when then-presidential candidate Trump cancelled a scheduled appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, citing a prior obligation.
September 18, 2016: Hosting the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards
On September 18, 2016, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, where he pointed out Mark Burnett's role in the rise of Donald Trump.
2016: Considered leaving show after Trump election
During a November 2022 appearance on Stitcher's Naked Lunch podcast, Kimmel revealed that he told ABC executives, soon after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, that if he could not tell Trump jokes, then he would leave the show.
2016: Hosts the Primetime Emmy Awards
In 2016, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards.
February 26, 2017: Hosting the 89th Academy Awards
On February 26, 2017, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 89th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony.
2017: Hosts the Academy Awards
In 2017, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards.
March 4, 2018: Hosting the 90th Academy Awards
On March 4, 2018, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 90th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony.
June 2018: Blobfish Basketball Classic
In June 2018, Jimmy Kimmel participated in the Blobfish Basketball Classic, a one-on-one basketball game against U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, which raised over $80,000 for charities.
November 2018: Launching Kimmelot
In November 2018, Jimmy Kimmel launched his second production company, Kimmelot.
2018: Hosts the Academy Awards
In 2018, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards.
2018: Fundraising for Jacky Rosen
In 2018, Jimmy Kimmel raised funds for Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Jacky Rosen.
July 2019: Release of 'The Serious Goose'
In July 2019, Jimmy Kimmel released his first book, 'The Serious Goose', a children's picture book featuring his own illustrations.
April 8, 2020: Premiere of Celebrity 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'
On April 8, 2020, the celebrity edition of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', hosted and co-executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel, premiered on ABC.
June 2020: Announcement to Host the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards
In June 2020, Jimmy Kimmel was announced as the host of the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.
September 20, 2020: Hosting the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards
In June 2020, it was announced that Jimmy Kimmel would return to host the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2020.
2020: Hosts the Primetime Emmy Awards
In 2020, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards.
2020: Apology for Blackface and Racial Slurs
In the summer of 2020, amid the George Floyd protests, Jimmy Kimmel apologized for blackface impressions of Oprah Winfrey and Karl Malone in The Man Show, as well as using racial slurs in a 1996 song imitating Snoop Dogg.
2021: Title Sponsor of the LA Bowl
In 2021, Jimmy Kimmel became the title sponsor of the LA Bowl.
September 2022: Contract Extension with ABC
In September 2022, Jimmy Kimmel and ABC signed a three-year contract extension to continue his show through the 2025-26 season.
November 2022: Consideration of Leaving Show
During a November 2022 appearance on Stitcher's Naked Lunch podcast, Jimmy Kimmel revealed he considered leaving the show after the 2016 election of Donald Trump if he couldn't tell Trump jokes.
2022: Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
In 2022, the college football bowl game became officially known as the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and began being played annually in Inglewood's SoFi Stadium.
March 12, 2023: Hosting the 95th Academy Awards
On March 12, 2023, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 95th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony.
October 10, 2023: End of Strike Force Five Podcast
On October 10, 2023, Jimmy Kimmel ended the Strike Force Five podcast, a comedy podcast with Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and John Oliver which started on August 30 to support their staff members who were out of work due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
2023: Hosts the Academy Awards
In 2023, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards.
2023: Considered ending the show
While Kimmel and ABC had signed a three-year contract extension, running through the 2025–26 season, to continue his show in September 2022, he had considered ending the program just before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.
March 10, 2024: Hosting the 96th Academy Awards
On March 10, 2024, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 96th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony.
March 2024: Mocking Trump's Truth Social post at the Academy Awards
In March 2024, Jimmy Kimmel mocked a Truth Social post by then-presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the closing of the 96th Academy Awards ceremony.
2024: Hosts the Academy Awards
In 2024, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards.
September 15, 2025: Comments on Charlie Kirk's Assassination
On September 15, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel commented on reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk in his opening monologue, criticizing the MAGA gang and comparing Trump's reaction to "a four-year-old mourning a goldfish".
September 17, 2025: Suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
On September 17, 2025, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a week following controversial comments Kimmel made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk during his monologue.
2025: Contract runs through the 2025-2026 season
Jimmy Kimmel and ABC had signed a three-year contract extension, running through the 2025–26 season, to continue his show in September 2022
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