Jimmy Kimmel admitted he feared his late-night career had come to an end after his show was suspended.
After ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! and major affiliate groups placed it on indefinite hiatus, Kimmel feared the show might be gone for good—especially after Sinclair issued a list of demands, including an apology, before considering its return.
“The idea that I would not have 40 affiliates, I was like, ‘Well, that’s it.’ Because there seemed to be a list of demands presented to me and I was not going to go along with any of them,” he told the audience Wednesday at the Bloomberg Screentime event in Hollywood.
Kimmel added, “So it’s was like, ‘well, I guess we’re done.’ I said to my wife, ‘that’s it. It’s over.'”
He marked his return but Kimmel claimed his return to TV after a brief suspension “probably went about as good as it could go.”
He stressed the importance of clarifying his true intent, saying his remarks had been “intentionally — and, I think, maliciously — mischaracterized.”
Describing his preparation for the return episode on September 23, Kimmel said, “it was something really that had to come from inside me.”
He said it was vital to be honest about his feelings and experiences, noting that even if not everyone agreed, his priority was to express his message clearly.
Sharing his feelings on the time when “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” might end, he shared that “I often answer that question, and then I do the opposite of what I said. I previously said, ‘this is going to be like my last one,’ the last three contracts. So I’ve learned not to say anything anymore, because it upsets my staff. It’s best that when I make a decision, I will make that decision.”
Kimmel’s Bloomberg Screentime appearance was his first time addressing last month’s controversy, which saw ABC pull him off the air and affiliates pre-empt his show for several days.
