Biography

Jimmy Kimmel was born in 1967 and spent the earlier part of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York.  He moved to Las Vegas when he was still in grade school, however, and after attending Arizona State University for a few years, he left his studies to pursue a career in entertainment. Having found success hosting radio programs while in school, Kimmel focused on the medium again after leaving, and by the late 1980’s, he’d found a paying gig as the co-host of a morning talk show in Seattle, Washington.

After leaving the show, Jimmy set his sights on California and began hosting a show there, where he met Adam Carolla and struck up a friendship. But it wasn’t until the mid 1990’s that Kimmel began to earn gigs working in television, first appearing as “Jimmy the Fox Guy” for Fox promos, and then later alongside Ben Stein on Win Ben Stein’s Money. The latter earned him both exposure and critical acclaim in the form of an Emmy for Best Game Show Host, and led to Kimmel’s co-hosting The Man Show alongside Carolla. The success of the show brought other opportunity for Kimmel, including producing Crank Yankers for the Comedy Central network and later the film Windy City Heat.

By the new millennium, Jimmy Kimmel was ready to launch his own show, and so in 2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted on ABC. The show has since been enormously successful and has led to a number of other projects for Kimmel, including; serving as Roastmaster for the Friars Club and Comedy Central; hosting the game show Set for Life; hosting the ESPY Awards in 2007; hosting the American Music Awards in the years 2003-2004 and again from 2006-2008; lending his voice to a variety of animated features, such as Garfield, Road Trip, and Robot Chicken; hosting the Emmy Awards in 2012, and hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2012.

In addition to his work in comedy entertainment, Jimmy Kimmel has founded, alongside friend Adam Carolla, the annual Feast of San Gennaro, which simultaneously recognizes those who have contributed to the needy in the Los Angeles area and celebrates Italian cuisine and culture.