Jimmy Kimmel is one of the biggest names in late night television, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been delivering laughs on ABC since it first debuted back in 2003. Much like other late night hosts over the past couple of years, however, Kimmel has delivered more serious and opinionated monologues about everything ranging from current political events to the health of his young son. While many viewers have responded well to Kimmel sharing more of himself on his show, his opinionated monologues have impacted Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a key way. Kimmel himself explained the situation:
According to polls I've seen, it has cost me commercially. That's not ideal, but I wouldn't change anything I said.
It seems that not all companies are willing to attach themselves to Jimmy Kimmel's opinionated speeches. He still delivers plenty of laughs with his ongoing segments, and he's doing well enough that he landed the Oscars hosting gig, but some sponsors apparently jumped ship. While Kimmel obviously isn't thrilled that his show has taken a blow, it's nice to know that he doesn't regret what he's said. Sharing his voice on topics that aren't strictly comedic was a bold move, and he stands by it.
Jimmy Kimmel isn't the only late night host to get more serious and biting in his current events commentary. Stephen Colbert has actually received a boost in ratings due to his political coverage since the 2016 presidential election, and even his controversially crude joke about Donald Trump didn't derail him. Seth Meyers delivers a regular segment called "A Closer Look" that breaks down current events. Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show tends to avoid politics, but that's definitely not the case with non-broadcast TV shows The Daily Show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
In his chat with O Magazine, Jimmy Kimmel also explained why he chooses to deviate from straightforward comedy at times, saying this:
I know my job is, for the most part, to entertain people and make them laugh. That said, if I can be selfish every once in a while and talk about something serious that's important to me, then I do want to take that opportunity. But I don't want to abuse my position. I pick my battles. Ninety percent of the time, I'll joke around, but some of the jokes, I hope, make people think.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is still comedic most of the time, and even the more serious moments tend to happen in the monologue rather than carry through the entire episode. There are more laughs than tears on Jimmy Kimmel's show, and we can bet that there will be fans tuning in, even if Kimmel has suffered some commercial loss.
Tune in to ABC on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET to see new episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! For your primetime viewing options, take a look at our midseason TV premiere guide. If streaming is more your style, swing by our 2018 Netflix premiere guide and our 2018 Amazon premiere schedule.
