‘Jimmy Kimmel’ anniversary present takes one other swipe at Damon

Jimmy Kimmel marked the twentieth anniversary of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday evening by bringing again his first-ever visitor George Clooney together with inaugural visitor co-host Snoop Dogg and musical act Coldplay for the celebration. Even his long-time nemesis Matt Damon made a visitor look, however solely to lament being snubbed but once more by the late-night TV host.

The ABC discuss present premiered in 2003 stay after the Tremendous Bowl and, as Kimmel recalled in Thursday’s monologue, was “dead on arrival” as he recounted the not-so-rave critiques he recevied in his debut.

“Why these people at ABC hired me, I still have no idea,” he quipped, name-checking Bob Iger — the president and CEO of ABC’s mother or father firm, Walt Disney Co. — who was in Kimmel’s studio viewers Thursday.

The host additionally famous that they’d accomplished 3,588 episodes since and “if you played all our shows back to back, it would go on for 150 days straight and you would kill yourself.”

“There’s been two wars, a worldwide pandemic, four presidents, an insurrection, at least three different Kanyes,” he mentioned, topping off his verbal retrospective with a bodily Blockbuster Video membership card for this system as a result of it pre-dated Google, YouTube and iPhones.

Kimmel, whose quips shortly changed into a teary-eyed tribute to his workers, band, household and different supporters who have been within the viewers, additionally devoted a phase on the glow-up of his car parking zone safety guard-turned-sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez.

Though the self-deprecating comedian known as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” a “dumb” present throughout its two-decade run, he additionally mentioned that he used it as a platform to advocate for points he cared about, together with healthcare and stricter gun legal guidelines. To not point out encouraging “thousands of parents to eat their kids’ Halloween candy.”

After his interviews with Snoop and Clooney and a efficiency by Coldplay on the finish of the episode, Kimmel continued his working gag about Damon and apologized to “The Bourne Identity” star for working out of time for his or her interview. Then the digicam minimize to a livid Damon, who had been ready in his dressing room to have a good time the anniversary episode. Damon unleashed a profanity-laced tirade and wildly tore down a banner, smashed a cake and destroyed different decorations he allegedly ready for the celebration.

“What the actual f—, 20 years of this s—. F— Kimmel. I can’t believe I baked you a cake,” he raged, “Stupid cake, with your stupid face! You’re welcome, America. Most overrated talk-show host ever.”

Kimmel and Damon’s fake feud began not lengthy after the present debuted. Kimmel mentioned he ad-libbed an apology to Damon on an evening when the present featured some significantly unremarkable company. After his producer responded to the joke by doubling over with laughter off digicam, Kimmel started working the bit into his sign-off in nearly each episode after that. Damon lastly made his means onto the present in 2006, and repeatedly over time, because the rivalry has escalated and pulled Damon’s pal Ben Affleck and different celebrities into its orbit.