Jimmy Kimmel closed out his final show of 2025 with an emotional monologue, openly admitting that the past year has been one of the hardest of his life.
Speaking directly to his audience Thursday night, the late-night host did not try to hide the toll the year has taken on him, both professionally and personally.
“This has been a strange year. It’s been a hard year,” Kimmel said. “We’ve had some lows, we’ve had some highs. For me, maybe more than any year of my life.”
Kimmel thanked viewers for sticking with him, saying their support helped pull the show through what he described as a dark period.
“I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and not just for watching,” he said. “This year, you literally pulled us out of a hole.”
The host acknowledged that while his job is not the hardest in the world, it is far from easy, especially during a time of constant political and cultural turmoil.
“You see so many awful and destructive acts,” Kimmel said. “All this damage we inflict on ourselves on purpose, and it can make you feel crazy trying to wrap your head around things that are so clearly wrong.”
Much of that stress stemmed from uncertainty surrounding his show earlier this year.
In September, ABC temporarily pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, warned the network that its license could be at risk due to Kimmel’s content.
The move shocked the industry and sparked a national debate over free speech.
Kimmel has long been one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics, regularly using his platform to attack the president’s policies, rhetoric, and character.
The brief suspension left Kimmel and his team questioning whether the show would survive, according to the Daily Mail.
His wife and head writer, Molly McNearney, later admitted they believed his career might be over.
“I watched a show, co-workers, friends and the man I love be put on indefinite suspension after our thin-skinned president asked for his removal,” McNearney said at a public event, calling it a fragile moment for free expression.
The show returned to air a week later, with ABC offering Kimmel a one-year contract extension that keeps him on television through May 2027.
Beyond professional stress, Kimmel also reflected on deep personal loss.
In November, he delivered an emotional tribute to his best friend and longtime band leader Cleto Escobedo III, who died following complications from a liver transplant.
Earlier in the year, Kimmel also spoke about the devastation caused by wildfires across Los Angeles, which he said added to the emotional weight of the year.
He said the broader national mood made everything feel heavier.
“You grow up believing in truth, justice, and the American way,” Kimmel said. “And then you start to wonder where that all went.”
Despite everything, Kimmel said late-night comedy helped him cope.
He told viewers that hearing from people who say the show helps them feel less alone makes the work worth it.
Kimmel ended the year with a message to audiences both in the United States and abroad.
“There is still much more good in this country than bad,” he said. “And we hope you’ll bear with us during this extended psychotic episode we’re in the middle of.”
