Jimmy Kimmel Cries During Final Show of 2025, Says Viewers ‘Literally Pulled Us Out of a Hole’ amid ‘Hard Year’

Jimmy Kimmel ended the year on an emotional note, struggling to hold back tears as he signed off from Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

During the Thursday, Dec. 18 episode, the host began crying almost immediately as he stepped into his monologue, reflecting on what he called a “strange year.”

“It’s been a hard year. We’ve had some lows, we’ve had some highs. For me, maybe more than any year of my life,” he said, his voice cracking as he apologized. “I’m crying already, I’m sorry.”

He then thanked viewers for standing by the show through a difficult stretch.

“On behalf of all of us at the show, I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and not just for watching — this year, you literally pulled us out of a hole,” he said, referring to the program’s six-day suspension in September and the ratings bump after his return. “And we cannot thank you enough personally, professionally.”

Kimmel, 58, went on to talk about the role late-night television can play during chaotic times.

“When I hear from people who tell me that they watch our show, and the shows that my friends and colleagues do on the other channels, and that it makes them feel less crazy, it makes me feel less crazy too, and I think that’s an important thing,” he said.

Addressing viewers outside the U.S., he added: “A lot of us are not okay with what is happening. There is still much more good in this country than bad, and we hope that you will bear with us during this extended psychotic episode that we’re in the middle of.”

Kimmel’s year included turbulence for the show following comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s death. He also faced a personal loss: his childhood friend and the show’s band leader, Cleto Escobedo, died in November.

“To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old,” Kimmel wrote in an Instagram post announcing the news on Nov. 11. “The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.”

Escobedo was 59. On the day of his death, Kimmel fought through tears on-air while paying tribute, calling it the “hardest” monologue he’d ever had to deliver.

In recent months, Kimmel has also been repeatedly targeted by President Donald Trump, including multiple calls for Jimmy Kimmel Live! to be taken “off the air.”

Kimmel has responded by mocking the criticism, including joking that Trump has helped boost the show’s ratings.

“He watches us live. Hi, Mr. President. How are you? Thanks for watching us on TV instead of on YouTube. We appreciate that. And I’ll tell you, it’s viewers like you who keep us on the air, ironically,” Kimmel said during a November episode after one of Trump’s posts calling for the show to be canceled.

Earlier this month, Kimmel signed a one-year contract extension with ABC, meaning Jimmy Kimmel Live! is set to return for the 2026–2027 season.