Jimmy Kimmel jokes about being a Disney liability: ‘No employee has cost their employer more’
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Jimmy Kimmel took the stage at Disney’s upfronts and joked that hiring him 24 years ago was "the worst personnel decision that Disney Corporation has ever made."
The late-night host addressed the political heat he has faced, claiming that while President Donald Trump wants him fired, he has also "generated unparalleled engagement across a variety of platforms."
Jimmy Kimmel jokes about Disney losses at upfronts
Jimmy Kimmel leaned into the idea that he has become a massive financial burden for his parent company. He joked that all the trouble he has dealt with over the past year gave him a greater appreciation for the regular mess of May’s upfronts week.
He admitted to the crowd of advertisers that he has likely cost Disney "a lot of money this year, billions."
Kimmel told the audience that it is "very possible that no employee in the history of any company has cost their employer more" than he has.
To help cover these supposed losses, he jokingly sent Guillermo Rodriguez into the crowd with a collection basket, telling the advertisers, "It would help me a lot, if you could kick in a little lecture this year."
Jimmy Kimmel mocks ABC scandals during upfronts speech
Kimmel did not stop at his own controversies, as he also mocked the various scandals and programming shifts at ABC.
He referenced the Taylor Frankie Paul debacle and noted that usually, to get a show pulled from the network, there would have to be "video of its lead throwing a chair."
Kimmel then took a sharp jab at the network, telling the audience that "as for us at ABC, except for all the domestic violence, we’re doing really great."
Jimmy Kimmel roasts CBS, NBC and Fox at upfronts
The comedian then turned his attention to other broadcasters, starting with CBS.
He mocked the network for leasing Stephen Colbert’s time slot to Byron Allen’s 'Comics Unleashed,' calling it the move "least likely to offend the president with a rerun of ‘Comics Unleashed’ from 2007 featuring Paula Poundstone and Andy Dick."
He added that for Stephen, "it’s bad enough to lose your job, imagine getting replaced by the owner of the Weather Channel."
Kimmel also targeted NBC, joking that someone at the network must be sleeping with the mayor of Chicago to explain the constant renewals of the 'One Chicago' franchise.
Finally, he mocked Fox for reviving 'Baywatch' to fix its last-place ratings. He quoted Fox president Michael Thorn, joking that the new version would bring the "California Dream to a whole new generation of fans with fresh stories they can enjoy in the living room when no one is home."
