Jimmy Kimmel Rose to the Occasion in His Late-Night Return, Reminding Us Why We Have to Speak Out Against Tyranny

Jimmy Kimmel never thought he’d be here. But Kimmel has the skill to rise to this moment, at a jarring time in this country’s history as freedoms are under attack and democracy hangs on just by a thread.

On Tuesday’s return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” we were reminded of that. Kimmel struck the perfect tone, acknowledging the gravity of what had just happened, telling his audience that both sides of the aisle should cherish and celebrate free speech — and then not pulling any punches in joking about what Donald Trump has been up to over the last few days. Political satire has been a late night staple since the dawn of the entire genre, and Kimmel was going to make sure it isn’t going anywhere.

“You had the feeling that this was an important moment,” said one audience member who attended the Tuesday taping. “It felt very cathartic, like, not everything is lost.” It was a good reminder that part of the promise of America has being able to speak without fear of government intimidation.

We all love Jimmy, but he never asked to be drafted to be the protector of the First Amendment and free speech in this nation. He’s a late night talk show host, not an activist. A comedian whose job is to simply poke fun at our nation’s elected leaders.

“This show is not important, what is important is we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this,” Kimmel said.

But these days, just pointing out our government’s foibles makes you an enemy of the state. Kimmel found that out last week, but he’s not the only one. President Trump is still celebrating the impending disappearance of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” And he promises that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are next. Trump has the power of the FCC, the DOJ and other agencies ready to do his bidding — and last week, the administration came very close to getting what it wanted: The silence of one of the few prominent voices still poking fun at the madness coming out of Washington.

Let that sink in for a second: Talk show hosts — comedians whose main job is to crack audiences up and help a rotating cast of guests promote their latest projects — are so embedded in the craw of Trump that he’s demanding his agencies find a way to shut them up.

“I just want to say how alarming it is to feel like late night is important,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” writer Louis Virtel said this week on his podcast. “Nobody takes this job thinking, ‘and you know why I decided to make jokes about, whatever, Melania Trump today? To make a difference.” On the one hand, Trump loves to bash the hosts as being low-rated no-talents — yet “he’s the one who is constantly bringing up every day how important these people’s speech is.”

Like many Angelenos, I’m old enough to remember when Kimmel was “Jimmy the Sports Guy” on KROQ’s “Kevin & Bean,” and waiting in line for the annual Christmas cassette that he helped produce. Trust me, “Jimmy the Sports Guy” wasn’t planning on becoming the national lightning rod for free speech — he started off his career by just wanting to be entertaining on the radio.

But Kimmel’s tenacity and talent was always there, even when he was loitering at stations in Phoenix and Los Angeles, waiting for his big break. After he made his way onto “Kevin & Bean” — famously, the morning show hosts had no idea their program director had even hired him — he quickly found success as the sidekick on “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” as comic relief on “Fox Sports Sunday” and then as one-half of “The Man Show” with Adam Corolla.

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VARIETY COVER: Kathy Bates, Still Badass: The Icon on ‘Matlock,’ Saying ‘F– You’ to Weight Loss Critics and Why Being an Old Emmy Nominee Is a ‘Badge of Honor’

When it comes to describing his onetime co-star Kathy Bates, Sam Rockwell doesn’t hold back. “She’s a badass motherfucker,” he says about his time working with her on Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell.” “It was nothing short of extraordinary. She’s a beast; she’s an animal. She’s an assassin. She’s a baller! Marvel and DC should make her a fucking superhero — or supervillain!”

But as we sit in her “Matlock” dressing room on the Paramount lot, Bates is not quite feeling like a baller. It’s late in the evening after a long day of shooting an episode of the CBS drama’s upcoming second season, and Bates just came off struggling with a tongue twister of a line, which she unraveled with the help of her costar Skye Marshall.

“When I have to do the legalese, sometimes I get kind of turned around,” she says. “And we go so fast — we’re really rehearsing on camera. By the time we’re making soup, it’s like, ’OK, cut! We’re gonna go to the next angle!’”

And yet, Bates doesn’t seem exhausted. When Rockwell’s salty description of her comes up, she brightens. Does Bates feel like a badass motherfucker?

“When I’m around him, I do!” she says. “We’re always texting each other. He’ll write, ’I love you, you fucker!’ And I was watching him in ’Seven Psychopaths,’ because I love that movie so much. I took a screenshot of my TV and sent it to him and said, ’You fucker! I love you too!’

She admits Rockwell could be onto something with that Marvel/DC casting idea: “I’d love to be a superhero who could fly. But be sexy and transform from one thing to another. Maybe a combo platter: A villain who then transforms into a sexy, crazy, perfect woman.”

This is the gregarious, no-bullshit Kathy Bates people keep talking about. Having been a superstar for decades — that 1991 “Misery” Oscar win was nearly 35 years ago, when Bates was already a seasoned stage performer in her 40s — she’s no stranger to transformation.

But at 77, Bates is as close as she’s ever been to her own sexy, crazy, perfect ideal.

For starters, Bates’ career is speeding up, thanks to the tremendous success of “Matlock,” which returns next month for Season 2, as the show’s writers accelerate the face-off at the core of the series. Bates has embraced the challenge of being No. 1 on the call sheet, too, even using her clout to make sure “Matlock” films in Los Angeles, and that its cast and crew are treated properly on set. And then there’s how she’s feeling: better than ever.

Bates calls this the “redemption stage” of her life and career. She’s made it to the other side of some tough times, and now things couldn’t be happier. “I finally feel like I’m who I am,” she says. “I’ve fought my way through the rapids. I feel this is the best time of my life. I’m glad I stuck around for it!”

There’s a new swagger in her step, partly because of her weight loss (she’s dropped around 100 pounds). And she’s got a clean bill of health after surviving multiple bouts of cancer. And then, following some worries about whether her best acting days were behind her, Bates booked the lead on “Matlock.”

Not only is “Matlock” a hit — delivering nearly 16 million viewers across broadcast and streaming last season — but it has led to a new string of honors for Bates (who has two Emmys and a Golden Globe in addition to that Oscar), starting with a Critics Choice Award in January. Now, thanks to the show, Bates is the oldest-ever Emmy nominee in the outstanding drama actress category.

And she’s not bothered that we keep mentioning that age-related historic stat. “I love that,” she says, noting that “this feels totally different” from the success that has come before. “It’s true, first of all, and it’s a badge of honor. It’s just the serendipity of all of it. I’ve never had any of this stuff happen before, where I’ve got five different designers sending dresses!”

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L.A. Plays Itself: How Shows Like ‘Nobody Wants This,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Shrinking’ and More Are Honoring the City of Angels Right When We Need It Most

From its very first beat, “Nobody Wants This” spoke to me. The series opens with a quick montage of Los Angeles sights — palm treelined avenues, Echo Park Lake — as Haim’s “Summer Girl” (with its lyric “L.A. on my mind”) plays. From there, we see stars Kristen Bell and Justine Lupe as they stroll on a Los Feliz side street, just off Vermont Avenue.

“Nobody Wants This” isn’t the only Emmy comedy contender with L.A. on its mind. “Hacks,” “Shrinking,” “The Studio” and even portions of last season’s “Only Murders in the Building” shone a spotlight on the City of Angels. Other series in recent years that have done a great job showcasing the joy of living in Los Angeles include “Platonic,” “Running Point,” “Forever” and “No Good Deed.”

All of these shows pride themselves — justifiably — on heading outdoors and finding some of the more unique and hidden corners of Los Angeles. It’s something I strive to do every year (self-serving plug alert!) with the Great Los Angeles Walk, which I created in 2006 as a way to find fellow Angelenos as passionate as I am for exploring our city on foot. Every year we walk the length of an avenue across Los Angeles, from downtown to the ocean, always discovering new attractions, landmarks, architecture and restaurants along the way. (The 20th annual Great Los Angeles Walk will travel across Wilshire Boulevard on Nov. 22 — come join us and read more about it here!)

Los Angeles comprises 502 square miles, while Los Angeles County is 4,753 square miles — so it’s understandable that even most lifelong Angelenos have only explored a fraction of their own backyard. Part of my goal with the Great Los Angeles Walk is to expose people to a new side of their hometown, and that’s also what shows like “Nobody Wants This” are doing. Creator Erin Foster was born and raised here, but spent most of her life on the West Side — so shooting in places like Eagle Rock (where the character of Noah, played by Adam Brody, lives) gave her a new perspective on the city.

“That’s a part of L.A. that I really haven’t spent a lot of time in,” she says. “And so it was interesting, getting a feel for the neighborhoods. It’s got a real, sweet, small-town feel.”

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PBS SoCal Leads L.A. Area Emmys 2025 Winners Tally, While Telemundo’s KVEA Sweeps All Three Station Newscast Awards

PBS SoCal (KOCE/KCET) led the 2025 L.A. Area Emmy awards with eight total, but the other big winner of the night was Telemundo’s KVEA-TV, which took home all three station awards for best newscasts — for daily morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.), daily daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and daily evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.).

The 2025 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards were held Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, hosted by Spectrum News 1 host/anchor Kelvin Washington.

Jim Hill was recognized with 2025 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, for his five-decades-long career in broadcasting and 45 years as a sportscaster at KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles. The award was presented by former LA Laker star James Worthy.

Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions produced this year’s event, featuring categories including Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Health and Science, Human Interest, Music, Sports, and the Environment.

KVEA and KMEX both landed seven Emmys total on Saturday — a strong dual showing for L.A.’s top two Spanish-language stations. KABC-TV and KTLA-TV followed with three each, while Spectrum News 1 and Spectrum SportsNet LA got two a piece.

Go here for the winners for this year’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards.

Remembering How Disneyland Made a Lasting Impact on Us — In the Saddest Way Possible

As an Air Force brat, my family frequently found itself in Los Angeles as we shipped off to or returned from overseas homes in locations like the Philippines and Hawai’i. Those L.A. stopovers always included a visit to Disneyland, and those trips to the park remain fond family memories. So when I had kids of my own, Disneyland was on that parenting bucket list.

My eldest son Evan’s first trip to Disneyland, however, was memorable for an entirely different (and sad) reason. In November 2006, my parents were in town and Evan was about to turn 3 — the perfect time to take him to the theme park for the first time. And since it was his inaugural visit, we wanted to give him the full experience — starting with the Disneyland Railroad. (Also, he was very much in the peak “choo-choo train” demographic at that moment.)

I grabbed Evan, my wife Maria, my parents and some friends (who brought along their daughter, same age as our son), and just as the park opened, we headed straight to the train. It was a hit (well, except maybe for the dinosaur section — kinda scary for a preschooler, we found out). Then, as we left the Main Street train station to really get the day going, Maria noticed something: The diamond in her wedding ring had fallen out.

Panic. We raced back to the train, which hadn’t left yet, and searched the car. We looked at the grounds around the station. Combed through morsels of sand in that area. Nothing. Engagement ring diamonds may be expensive, but they’re still small — so it could have been anywhere.

I filed a report with Disneyland’s lost and found, knowing that locating the diamond would be virtually impossible. This is also when I called my insurance agency and realized “losing a diamond at Disneyland” was not covered by my policy. I had proposed to Maria with that ring in November 2001; in my head, I tried to find solace in doing the math, amortizing the five years we at least got out of that expense before losing the jewel.

Maria didn’t love my quip, “Does this mean we’re not married anymore?” After an hour of our failed search — and with two kids in tow, desperate to see Mickey and Goofy — we had to cut our losses. Were we going to be miserable all day, or would we put on some mouse ears and watch our son have a blast at Disneyland? We sucked it up, and I’m still amazed at how much we’re smiling in our photos from that day — even though that was definitely the costliest trip we ever took to Disneyland. And I still wonder if someone else is telling the story of the lucky day they found a diamond on the ground. At least for them, that would absolutely make it the Happiest Place on Earth.

Favorite ride: Space Mountain. Not Hyperspace Mountain, I love it when Space Mountain is in all of its 1970s glory, complete with loud jazz fusion soundtrack. It’s what we thought space travel would be like circa 1977, and I still wish it was that way.

Disney tip: The beignets at New Orleans Square always include a seasonal variety ­— pumpkin spice in October, peppermint in December, etc. Get it. My favorite treat in all the Disneyland park.

Read about other Variety staffers' Disneyland memories here.