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Jimmy Kimmel Opens Up About Jay Leno — and It’s Not Flattering

Feb 15, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Jimmy Kimmel has just served up more evidence that he’s not exactly a fan of fellow late-night host Jay Leno. Kimmel “couldn’t stop talking about the fellow funnyman during a recent interview with Playboy, on newsstands Friday,” Fox News reports.

Kimmel says in the interview: “I have a filter mechanism in my head every night when I put together the monologue for our show: If I can imagine Jay Leno telling a joke, then I won’t do it, even if it’s a good joke.”

Kimmel adds: “I always feel bad if I hurt anybody’s feelings, but I don’t believe Jay Leno has actual feelings, and he doesn’t seem to be that worried about other people’s feelings. Strangely I don’t even like talking about him anymore. The only time I think about him is when I’m asked.”

The piece notes that Kimmel has a history of bashing Leno. “Earlier this year, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Kimmel said it was hard not to hate on Leno,” the story reports.

In that earlier interview, Kimmel reportedly said of Leno: "As a comedian, you can’t NOT have disdain for what he’s done. He totally sold out. He was a master chef who opened a Burger King."

6 Comments

  1. It’s the Letterman-lovers who keep these repetitive stories going. Meanwhile, Leno kicks butt in the ratings, as much as possible for a sexagenarian. Carson retired when he was Letterman’s age and Leno is only 3 or so years behind. What ever happened to retiring gracefully?

  2. “… If I can imagine Jay Leno telling a joke, then I won’t do it, even if it’s a good joke.”
    Now I know why Kimmel isn’t funny.
    “I always feel bad if I hurt anybody’s feelings,…”
    Heaven forbid Jimmy should ever hear Mel Brooks definition of comedy and tragedy.
    “… He totally sold out….”
    Jay’s doing what you do, Jimmy… getting paid for doing what he does. You get paid for what you do… then you sold out. It’s the fundamental essence of capitalism.

  3. ” Meanwhile, Leno kicks butt in the ratings”
    And Burger King’s 4th quarter net profits nearly doubled.
    “You get paid for what you do… then you sold out”
    The main gripe many comedians have is they see a difference between “doing what you do” and “catering to your audience”
    And I don’t think its just the “Letterman-lovers” who keep these stories going so much as the Entertainment Media who love a good rivalry.
    I can’t really say I’ve seen much of any of these shows lately, I’ve probably seen more Craig Ferguson…

  4. looks like all of leno’s stoodges in burbank are here posting lol. get back to real work before the new bosses at comcast cut more heads there.

  5. Or, as Jay himself says, his job is to write joke, tell joke, cash check.
    That’s what this is all about and only what it’s about. The rest is just window dressing.
    And Kimmel still isn’t funny.

  6. I think that anyone who ever saw Leno as a guest on Letterman, before Leno was a host, understands what Kimmel is talking about. Leno was the best edgy comic of the day… like Louis CK today. When Leno took over “Tonight,” he went to easier comedy for the masses.

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