Jimmy Kimmel reflects on perseverance after a difficult year in his career.
Almost a month later Jimmy Kimmel Live! was renewed for another year, the longtime host shared what he learned most about 2025 while attending the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on January 4.
“I learned a lot of lessons,” Kimmel said E! News. “I guess, ‘Stick to your guns.’ This is the biggest lesson I learned last year.
When Carp joked that he had built both figurative and literal muscles, the comedian responded, “Well, I didn’t say that, but I have guns.”
Kimmel, 58, won best talk show at the ceremony, capping a turbulent period. Last fall, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended following backlash over comments made during a monologue.
The show returned to the air less than a week later and was subsequently renewed.
Two months after this controversy, Kimmel faced a personal loss when his childhood best friend and longtime bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, died at the age of 59. Kimmel paid tribute to her on Instagram, writing that they were “inseparable since the age of 9.”
“Early this morning we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime conductor Cleto Escobedo III,” he wrote. “To say 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 have no plans this year. I’m just carrying on a little, that’s all.”
