Disney Dining Serving up the latest Disney Eats, Treats, News, and More!
Jimmy Kimmel has fallen ill, forcing him to cancel a highly-anticipated live show this weekend.
RELATED: ABC Fires Jimmy Kimmel During Live Broadcast of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Credit: Las Vegas Weekly
The ongoing writers’ strike has impacted every part of Hollywood. One of the earliest casualties of the strike was the sudden death of every late-night talk show across multiple television networks. But in the midst of a difficult situation, five late-night hosts took matters into their own hands.
On August 30, the first episode of Spotify’s Strike Force Five podcast aired. The podcast is a roundtable-style discussion of current events, news, and entertainment that takes place via Zoom meetings among the five late-night talk show hosts: Jimmy Kimmel of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Seth Meyers of Late Night, Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show, Stephen Colbert of The Late Show, and John Oliver of Last Week Tonight.
“Strike Force Five” podcast kings/Credit: The Guardian
Spotify’s Strike Force Five began as a meeting of the minds between Kimmel and four of his usual late-night competitors, who began meeting via Zoom to discuss their situations without their respective shows.
Per Variety:
The unusual alliance [of “Strike Force Five”] brings together the five late-night hosts, who normally compete for ratings and awards recognition, as a way to pay it forward to their respective teams — who have been left without work because of the WGA strike, now in its 121st day. Proceeds from “Strike Force Five” will go to the out-of-work staffers on each of their shows (“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”).
During the first episode of the show, Jimmy Kimmel talked about his plans to retire–plans he was intent on–until the writers’ strike began on May 2.
“I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” Kimmel said during the podcast, “and now, I realize–oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work.”
Credit: Koimoi
Kimmel’s confession was met with disbelief from his competitors: “Kimmel, come on; you’re the Tom Brady of late night,” NBC’s Seth Meyers responded. “You have feigned retirement.”
But Kimmel stuck to his guns, insisting that this was no joke: “I was serious; I was very, very serious.”
This weekend, the new podcast was to take on a different form–as Strike Force Three, a live event scheduled for Saturday, September 23. The event was slated to take place at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas. But Jimmy Kimmel has fallen ill, resulting in a total cancelation of the event.
Jimmy Kimmel tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, forcing him to cancel an upcoming live event called Strike Force Three. Kimmel would have taken the stage with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert, but now the entire event has been canceled. Kimmel shared the sad news in a social media post.
Well, Las Vegas, I got Covid, and sadly, we need to cancel this weekend’s Strike Force Three show. I could never live with myself if I got my hometown friends sick. Thanks to all who purchased tickets, everyone will get full refunds and we will try to reschedule if possible.…
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) September 20, 2023
“Well, Las Vegas, I got Covid, and sadly, we need to cancel this weekend’s Strike Force Three show,” Kimmel wrote in the post. “I could never live with myself if I got my hometown friends sick. Thanks to all who purchased tickets, everyone will get full refunds and we will try to reschedule if possible.”
As of the time of this publication, there has been no date set for a rescheduling of the show.
