Jimmy Kimmel Was ‘Very Intent on Retiring’ Before Writers Strike Shut Down His Show: ‘It’s Kind of Nice to Work’

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Jimmy Kimmel claims he was ready to hang up his spurs as ABC’s late-night talk show host earlier this year — but the WGA writers strike changed his perspective.

Kimmel made the revelation on the first episode of Spotify’s “Strike Force Five” podcast, which went live Wednesday (Aug. 30) featuring a roundtable Zoom discussion among Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver. “I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” Kimmel said on the premiere episode. “And now, I realize, Oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work.” Meyers chimed in with, “Kimmel, c’mon, you are the Tom Brady of late night… you have feigned retirement.” But Kimmel insisted that he was serious about retiring: “I was serious, I was very, very serious.” Kimmel also said he usually takes the summer off — but in past years, he’s gotten paid.

That said, ABC announced a three-year renewal of Kimmel’s deal in September 2022, which would have made a decision by Kimmel to retire a more complicated effort.

During the WGA strike, Colbert said, people who have spotted him out in public have asked him if he’s “enjoying the vacation”: “I usually say, ‘This is like a vacation in the same way a colonoscopy is like a nap.'” The unusual alliance brings together the five late-night hosts, who normally compete for ratings and awards recognition, as a way to pay it forward to their respective teams — who have been left without work because of the WGA strike.