Jimmy Kimmel was visibly emotional Wednesday as he paid tribute to his oldest friend and former colleague Adam Carolla during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, delivering a speech that was part roast, part heartfelt tribute.
Kimmel began by recounting how the first two crossed paths in 1994, while he was working on Kevin and Bean, a Los Angeles radio show on KROQ.
Carolla, who was then working as a boxing instructor, called and was asked to train Kimmel for a boxing match.
His on-air opening gave a pretty clear indication of the dynamic that would define their friendship.
“Adam told Kevin and Bean, “Jimmy is 160 pounds of pure chiseled steel. Unfortunately, he weighs 225,” Kimmel recalls.
The training sessions themselves were far from rigorous.
“We did very little training. We would box for about eight minutes, then drink Snapple and go to lunch,” Kimmel said.
“As a result, I lost that fight, but I found a life partner. And if that sounds gay to you, it was and it is.”
He also called Carolla “one of the funniest people” he had ever met and described her as “the Laverne to my Shirley”.
The speech became more heartfelt as Kimmel reflected on what Carolla had built over the years, acknowledging their political differences without letting them get in the way of his admiration.
“Adam and I, as you probably know, don’t see eye to eye on politics, but I really like him,” he said.
“I’ve never worked with anyone funnier. I’m proud of him…he’s a guy who went from nothing to literally become a millionaire, and if you don’t believe it, you’ll hear him say it on every show.”
He ended with a phrase that captured both the absurdity and significance of the event.
“Adam is a true original. He was a poor kid from the San Fernando Valley who was rejected by Taco Bell management, and whose name will now forever be a part of this dirty, disgusting intersection.”
Carolla receives her star in the Radio category, a well-deserved recognition given that her podcast, The Adam Carolla Podcasthas become one of the most downloaded in the world.
The couple’s creative partnership spans decades, including Comedy Central The man’s show And Crank Yankers via Jackhole Productions, as well as Carolla’s late night show Too late.
He is also a New York Times bestselling author. Dr. Drew Pinsky also spoke at the ceremony, with Adam Weissler serving as emcee.
