Jimmy Kimmel Gets Real About Loss And Late-Night Survival

Jimmy Kimmel closed out the year with raw emotion, turning his final monologue into a reflection on grief, pressure, politics, and perseverance.

What began as a late-night comedy show became something far more personal as the host looked back on a turbulent stretch that tested his career, his faith in institutions, and his ability to keep going on television today.

The final new episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in 2025 was never going to be just another night of jokes.

From the moment Kimmel stepped onto the stage, it was clear something was different.

His voice cracked, his eyes welled, and the familiar rhythm of late-night comedy gave way to reflection.

“This has been a strange year. It’s been a hard year,” Kimmel said. “We’ve had some lows. We’ve had some highs. For me, maybe more than any year of my life.”

The past year brought a convergence of professional turmoil and personal loss.

Kimmel faced public attacks, corporate uncertainty, and the sudden death of Cleto Escobedo, the show’s bandleader and his longtime friend.

Rather than deflecting with humor, he allowed the audience to sit with the weight of it all, acknowledging how deeply the year had affected him.

As the monologue continued, Kimmel shifted his focus from hardship to gratitude.

Speaking directly to the audience, both in the studio and watching at home, he made it clear that their support had not gone unnoticed during the show’s darkest moments.

“On behalf of all of us at the show, I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and not just for watching this year, you literally pulled us out of a hole, and we cannot thank you enough,” Kimmel told the audience.

He added, “I know there are a lot harder jobs, but this is not an easy job to do, and sometimes it feels like we’re spinning our wheels. You see so many awful and destructive acts, all this damage we inflict on ourselves on purpose, and it can make you feel crazy trying to wrap your head around these things that are so clearly wrong.”

Behind the scenes, the uncertainty was even more intense.

After ABC’s parent company, Disney, suspended Jimmy Kimmel amid political pressure and threats of local preemption, the show’s future appeared bleak.

Kimmel and his wife, head writer Molly McNearney, privately believed the suspension might mark the end of his run at the network.

McNearney later spoke about that period with blunt honesty. “I watched a show, co-workers, friends, and the man I love be put on ‘indefinite suspension’ after our thin-skinned president asked for his removal and his FCC chair publicly threatened the company we work for. It is a fragile time for freedom,” she said at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women In Entertainment brunch.

The show ultimately returned, and ABC signed Kimmel to a new one-year deal extending his presence in late-night through at least May 2027.

However, the experience left scars, reinforcing how precarious creative expression can feel during politically charged times.

Politics took on a more somber tone as Kimmel addressed the broader cultural moment.

He reflected on how foundational ideas he grew up believing in now feel uncertain.

“You know, you grew up reading Superman, and you learn to value truth, justice, and the American way, and then you start to realize, especially over the last year, you don’t know where that all went. You don’t know what the American way even is anymore,” Kimmel said.

He added, “But when I hear from people who tell me that they watch our show and the shows that my friends and colleagues do on the other channels, and that it makes them feel less crazy. It makes me feel less crazy too, and I think that’s an important thing.”

The sentiment captured why late-night television has become more than escapism for many viewers.

For Kimmel, the show has become a place to process confusion and reaffirm shared values, even when those values feel under threat.

In the closing moments of the monologue, Jimmy Kimmel widened his lens beyond American borders, addressing international viewers who consume the show online.

His message was part reassurance, part apology, and part plea for patience.

“I also think it’s important that we as Americans let our friends in other countries who watch the show on YouTube, on Instagram, Hulu, wherever, know that a lot of us are not okay with what is happening,” he continued. “There is still much more good in this country than bad, and we hope that you will bear with us during this extended psychotic episode that we’re in the middle of.”

It was an unusually candid way to end the year, blending humor, exhaustion, and hope.

For Jimmy Kimmel, the year’s final show wasn’t just a sign-off but a reminder that even in late-night, honesty can sometimes be the strongest punchline.