Jimmy Kimmel

About Jimmy Kimmel

James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American comedian, writer, talk show host, game show host, and producer.

Jimmy Kimmel was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and is of German and Italian descent. The family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was nine years old.[citation needed] He graduated from Ed W. Clark High School and then attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas for one year and Arizona State University for two years. He did not complete his degree. Kimmel and his ex-wife, Gina, married in June 1988. They have a son, Kevin, and a daughter, Katie. The marriage ended in separation in early 2002. Kimmel then dated comedienne Sarah Silverman for five years. Their relationship ended in the summer of 2008.

Kimmel began working in the radio industry while in high school, hosting a Sunday night interview show on UNLV's college station KUNV. While attending Arizona State University, he became a popular caller to the KZZP-FM afternoon show hosted by radio personalities Mike Elliott and Kent Voss in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1989, Kimmel landed his first paying job alongside Voss as morning drive co-host of The Me and Him Show at KZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington. Ten months later, Kimmel and Voss were fired by KZOK and were fired again a year later at WRBQ-FM in Tampa, Florida. Kimmel went from Tampa to host his own show at KCMJ-FM in Palm Springs, California (where Kimmel convinced a young Carson Daly to drop out of college and become his intern). From Tampa, Kimmel landed a job with Mike Elliott at 93.7 KRQ in Tucson. Kimmel and Elliott were fired after one year. From KRQ, Kimmel was hired as sports guy/comedy writer for the Kevin and Bean morning show at KROQ-FM, Los Angeles, where he was known as "Jimmy the Sports Guy." Kimmel spent five years at KROQ, leaving in 1999 to focus on television.