Jimmy Kimmel’s amazing year that includes ratings growth, viral videos that are international sensations, hosting the Emmys and the White House Correspondents Dinner and getting engaged, is going to spill into 2013 because Jimmy Kimmel Live is moving to 11:35p on January 8th! He will finally be going head to chin and gap-tooth against The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman! JKL is the only network late night show to go up in the ratings this year in overall viewers, so the move is a smart one on ABC’s part. President of ABC Group Paul Lee had this to say about his decision, “The time is right for Kimmel to make this move…he’s ready, and so is his audience. For the past 10 years we’ve built the foundation for this shift, and we’ll be celebrating the New Year as only Jimmy Kimmel can… with that unique brand of humor and universal wit that has endeared him to fans of all ages.†What does he mean the audience is ready? Is he saying we are getting older and can’t stay up as late as we used to? Joking we are ready for to see him go up against the big guys because he has earned his spot as one of them.
So how does he feel about the faith that ABC has in his show? The ABC late night host said, “I am excited, honored, and grateful to ABC for this strong vote of confidence, inexplicable as it may be.” It is something that the show and him deserve because in the last decade they have proven to be a force to reckon with!
I have said this before and I will say it again. It is because of Jimmy Kimmel Live that I started watching late night television again. The writing, his delivery and interview style won me over on the very first night that I started watching the show over 5 years ago. Every night since I have watched his show and I am grateful to JKL for getting me into late night again. Something I gave up when I was a kid and would secretly stay up late to watch Carson.
So if any late night show deserves the faith of its network, it is Jimmy Kimmel Live. So congrats to the staff and him on the earlier timeslot!!!
