Jimmy Kimmel reflects on tough year after show renewal

Jimmy Kimmel is reflecting on perseverance after a challenging year in his career.

Nearly a month after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was renewed for another year, the longtime host shared what he learned most in 2025 while attending the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on January 4.

“I learned a lot of lessons,” Kimmel told E! News. “I guess, ‘Stick to your guns.’ That’s the biggest lesson I learned last year.”

When Carp joked that he’d developed both figurative and literal muscles, the comedian replied, “Well, I didn’t say that, but I do have guns.”

Kimmel, 58, won Best Talk Show at the ceremony, capping off a turbulent period. Last fall, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended following backlash to comments made during a monologue.

The show returned to air less than a week later and was later renewed.

Two months after that controversy, Kimmel faced a personal loss when his childhood best friend and longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III died at age 59. Kimmel honoured him on Instagram, writing that they had “been inseparable since I was 9 years old.”

“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” he wrote. “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement.”

As 2026 begins, Kimmel says he’s keeping expectations simple. Recalling a family conversation started by his wife, Molly McNearney, he said, “I don’t have any intentions this year. I just kinda keep going, that’s it.”