Jimmy Kimmel’s Back
Well, you knew it had to happen. First Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien announce they’re coming back Jan. 2 whether or not the WGA strike is over, and now Jimmy Kimmel has followed suit.
Jimmy Kimmel with Nicole Richie on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
New episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” pick up at 12:05 a.m. on Jan. 2, but not without Kimmel issuing an under-pressure press release:
“Though it makes me sick to do so without my writers, there are more than a hundred people whose financial well-being depends on our show. It is time to go back to work. I support my colleagues and friends in the WGA completely and hope this ends both fairly and soon.”
Kimmel has, without fanfare, been paying staffers out of his own pocket during the strike to cushion the blow. Even though Leno, O’Brien and Kimmel have given in to the networks about coming back – and we do think they have an honest concern about the financial well-being of the staffers – when the strong lines start breaking down, it could result in a much longer strike.