Kimmel Says ABC Almost Hired Jon Stewart
Kimmel Says ABC Almost Hired Jon Stewart

Kimmel Says ABC Almost Hired Jon Stewart

News summary

On Ted Danson’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, Jimmy Kimmel said ABC nearly hired Jon Stewart for its early‑2000s late‑night slot and that both comics shared manager James “Baby Doll” Dixon, who was close to closing the deal before telling Stewart he’d lost the job. Kimmel said an ABC executive showed his audition tape to Lloyd Braun and Bob Iger, who decided “this might be the guy,” and he called ABC’s choice a “mistake.” He recalled asking Iger why he was chosen and being told he was “cheaper,” and described the early years of Jimmy Kimmel Live! as chaotic. The podcast was recorded days before ABC briefly suspended Kimmel amid controversy and FCC pressure; the show later returned and drew strong viewership. Despite the near miss, both Kimmel and Stewart have done well since, though Kimmel said Stewart would have been the better hire.

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