Jimmy Kimmel Admits Jon Stewart Was The Better Pick To Host His Late Night Show — Claims Disney ‘Made a Mistake’ Hiring Him

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According to a recent report by Glenn Garner in Deadline, Jimmy Kimmel revealed he wasn’t ABC’s first pick to host his late-night show. He says the network almost went with Jon Stewart instead.

Jimmy Kimmel recently talked with Ted Danson on the “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast about how he got his late-night job on ABC. He revealed that the position was originally intended for Jon Stewart.

At the time, however, Jimmy Kimmel was the bigger bargain for Disney COO (now the CEO), Bob Iger.

Around 44 minutes into the podcast, Kimmel admitted that hiring Jon would have been the better choice, calling the original decision a mistake.

Bob Iger To Jimmy Kimmel: “You Were Cheaper!”

In a recent podcast appearance, Jimmy Kimmel shared a story about a conversation he had with Bob Iger, explaining how he was chosen to host the late-night show on ABC.

Jimmy Kimmel told Ted Danson that he once asked Bob Iger why he was chosen for a particular opportunity, questioning what led to the decision. Kimmel explained he was surprised by the choice, pointing out he was previously working on shows like The Man Show and doing football picks for Fox NFL Sunday. According to Kimmel, Iger simply responded, ‘Well, you were cheaper!’

After Jimmy and Danson shared a laugh, Jimmy continued, saying that everyone chuckled, but he realized Danson was being serious.

Jimmy Kimmel Says ABC Made A Mistake By Hiring Him

Jimmy Kimmel noted in the interview that Jon Stewart might have been the better option.

He admitted that choosing him over Jon was an error. He strongly believed they should have hired Jon, saying he would have done so without hesitation every single time.

Jimmy Kimmel discussed the conversations that happened between himself and Jon Stewart through ABC. Both comedians shared the same manager, James “Baby Doll” Dixon, who had the difficult task of telling Stewart—the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, then and now—about the situation.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! Ratings Roller Coaster

When Jimmy Kimmel Live! first started on ABC, it did fairly well in the ratings, averaging between 2 and 3 million viewers.

In a recent podcast appearance, Kimmel admitted he was surprised by the show’s success. He said he’s still not sure why it did well, but the ratings were good enough to ensure it stayed on the air.

Since then, viewership for his show has dropped significantly. In August 2025, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” averaged only 1.1 million viewers per episode, according to Nielsen ratings. Even more concerning, the key advertising demographic of 18-49 year olds fell to just 129,000 viewers, as reported by Ariel Zilber in the New York Post.

The Charlie Kirk Fallout

Following the death of Charlie Kirk, a well-known supporter of free speech, on September 10, 2025, Jimmy Kimmel made inaccurate and hurtful statements on his show, resulting in a brief suspension.

As a big late-night fan, I was relieved to see Jimmy Kimmel back on ABC so quickly after the controversy. There was a huge surge in viewers for his first show back – over 6.5 million people tuned in! But honestly, that was just a flash in the pan. The New York Post reported that numbers quickly dropped back down to the usual 1.7 to 2.8 million viewers a night. It’s a shame, but it seems like the initial interest faded pretty quickly.

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2025-11-11 19:57