Jimmy Kimmel is an American comedian, talk show host, producer, and writer. He is best known as the producer and host of the talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ which runs on ABC. Before this, he was known for working on Comedy Central on ‘The Man Show’.
Jimmy Kimmel has an estimated net worth of $50 million as of 2021. A large share of his wealth comes from his annual salary of $15 million from the late-night comedy talk show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’.
| Net Worth | $50 Million |
| Salary | $15 Million |
| Source of Wealth | Television, Talk Shows |
| Full Name | James Christian Kimmel |
| Age | 53 |
| Occupation | Television Host, Comedian, Writer |
| Education | Arizona State University |
| Nationality | American |
| Date of Birth | November 13, 1967 |
| Ethnicity | Irish, German, Welsh, Italian |
| Marital Status | Married (Molly McNearney) |
| Children | 4 (Kevin Kimmel, William John Billy Kimmel, Katie Kimmel, Jane Kimmel) |
| Last Updated | 2021 |
How Did Jimmy Kimmel Acquire His Wealth?
Jimmy Kimmel started his career early. When he was still a student at Ed. W. Clark High School, he started working at radio stations. However, he didn’t start earning from this until he reached college. During this time, his first-ever paying job was on The Me and Him Show on KZOK-FM radio station in Seattle. However, he was fired due to costly controversies for the station.
Soon after, he was invited to produce The Kevin & Bean Show, where he also was on-air as Jimmy the Sports Guy. He worked here for three years until 1997 when he was invited to join Ben Stein in the Comedy Central show ‘Win Ben Stein’s Money’.
In 1999, the network offered Kimmel to work on ‘The Man Show’ with Adam Carolla while still working on ‘Win ben Stein’s Money’. He quit working on the show in 2003 and finally started working on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He began with an annual salary of $1.75 million, but as the show started gaining popularity, his salary also started increasing. By 2009 he was making $6 million a year.
Apart from being a TV host, Jimmy Kimmel has worked in a ton of other venues. He was the roadmaster for New York’s Friars’ Club Roast of Hugh Hefner and appeared on a season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ on ABC. Soon after, he also hosted ‘Set for Life’ for ABC and managed the National League in Taco Bell’s All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game.
He is also famous for hosting several awards, including the prestigious Oscar Awards. He was paid $15k to host the 2017 Oscars, and he hosted them again in 2018. His monologues for these shows are quite popular among fans, and you can find them on his YouTube Channel.
In 2020, he was the host for ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’, and it was one of the last shows to finish production before the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
How Much Does Jimmy Kimmel Earn from ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’?
Jimmy Kimmel Live has around 213 episodes each year. With a little bit of maths and his current annual salary of $15 million, it becomes easy to calculate that the salary he gets for each episode of the show is $70.5k.
How Does Jimmy Kimmel Spend His Money?
While being quite wealthy and successful as a talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel is quite smart about spending his money. He spends most of his money on buying assets like houses and other real estate.
His Los Angeles home in Hollywood Hills was on the list for $2.29 million. The home is around 3,600 ft2 and has 5 bedrooms with beautiful architecture. The home also has 15 televisions and an in-built beer dispenser.
He also recently purchased a fishing lodge in Idaho close to the Wyoming border. The lodge has access to the Snake River for fly fishing and other activities and is a luxury accommodation for Kimmel and his family. While the lodge’s price is not disclosed yet, the previous owners had listed it out for almost $8 million in 2019.
He also purchased a mansion in Los Angeles in the Hermosa Beach neighborhoods for $8 million along with his wife. The purchase was made by their Blind Trust to avoid too much unnecessary publicity regarding the purchase.
Apart from this, Kimmel is also a philanthropist who loves donating to causes he believes in. His list of donations to charities includes the Aid Still Required, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Clara Lionel Foundation, GEANCO, Hillsides, Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and several others.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Early Life
He was born James Christian Kimmel on November 13, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York. While he was nine, he moved with his family to Las Vegas, where he got to shine in his talent as an artist. He was also quite dedicated to his education and got straight A grades throughout.
During his teenage years, he discovered David Letterman and made him his idol. While still at high school, he started working at radio stations. However, when he enrolled at Arizona State University, he started his professional radio career.
When he joined The Kevin and Bean Show, he became quite famous as Jimmy the Sports Guy. He also co-hosted the ‘Win Stein’s Money’ show and ‘The Man Show’ on Comedy Central. After quitting these shows in 2003, he started his own show named Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.
As for his personal life, he married his college sweetheart Gina Maddy in 1988, and they have two children together named Kevin and Katherine. However, in 2002, Gina filed for divorce.
Currently, Kimmel is married to Molly McNearney, a co-head writer on his show Jimmy Kimmel Live. They got married in 2013 and have two children together.
Jimmy’s Career Highlights
- In 1994, Jimmy started working on The Kevin & Bean Show as Jimmy the Sports Guy.
- In 1997, he started co-hosting the Win Stein’s Money Show on Comedy Central. They shared an Emmy Award for it.
- Soon after, he was invited to co-host The Man Show.
- He Started Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2003.
- Hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018.
- Got awarded the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Writing in 2012, 2015, and 2016.
- He won the Clic Award for Innovative in 2010 and the Shorty Special Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013.
- Hosted ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ in 2020.
Who is richer, Jimmy Kimmel vs Jimmy Fallon?
When you look at their net worth measures, Jimmy Fallon’s net worth comes out on top with $60 million compared to Kimmel with $50 million.
Do Guests Get Paid on Jimmy Kimmel?
Talk show guests come to promote their own movie or show and hence aren’t usually paid to be there. However, in some cases, the show may pay for their travel and lodging expenses.
What was Jimmy Kimmel’s First TV Show?
Jimmy Kimmel’s first TV show was the Comedy Central show ‘Win Ben Stein’s Money’. He won an Emmy Award for the show shared with his co-host, Ben Stein.
Jimmy Kimmel is a talented comedian who reached his current success through sheer hard work and determination. He had an early knack to start his career in the entertainment industry, and we hope it continues to bring him success in the future. After counting all of his assets and income, Jimmy Kimmel’s current net worth is $50 million.
