Jimmy Kimmel reveals he’ll have to sit out his late night show after his family comes down with COVID-19… as comedian Mike Birbiglia fills in for him
- Kimmel, 54, announced Monday on Twitter that he had COVID-19
- The comedian joked that his daughter had infected the rest of the family
- He planned to sit out Monday’s taping with Tom Cruise
- Comedian Mike Birbiglia will fill in starting on Tuesday, May 3
Jimmy Kimmel announced Monday on Twitter that he had contracted COVID-19.
The 54-year-old comedian shared that he would be sitting out the week’s shows, while Monday’s taping featuring Tom Cruise would be canceled.
Kimmel also announced that the comedian and monologist Mike Birbiglia would be taking care of hosting duties starting on Tuesday.
Out of commission: Jimmy Kimmel, 54, announced Monday that he would be missing this week’s Jimmy Kimmel Live shows after his family contracted COVID-19
In a tweet, Kimmel joked, ‘Our daughter brought us covid (even though we specifically asked her not to).’
Luckily, it didn’t appear to be a serious bout with the illness.
‘All feeling fine, I am double vaxxed and boosted but the show must not go on,’ he continued. ‘Apologies to @TomCruise & @iliza and thanks to Mike Birbiglia @birbigs who’ll be filling in for me starting tomorrow night.’
It appeared that Kimmel’s Monday night program would be completely scrapped, presumably because he wasn’t able to get a guest host on such short notice.
Canceled: Jimmy joked that his daughter had gotten the family sick. It appeared that Monday’s show with Tom Cruise and Iliza Shlesinger would be scrapped completely
Family: He and his wife Molly McNearney, 44, share two young children: Jane, seven, and William, five; seen together on April 24 in Washington, D.C.
Tom Cruise was set to be his big guest as he promoted his upcoming Top Gun sequel, while comedian Iliza Shlesinger would also be appearing.
The late night host didn’t specify if everyone in his family had contracted COVID-19, or just some members.
He and his wife Molly McNearney, 44, share two young children: Jane, seven, and William, five.
He also has two adult children from his first marriage to Gina Kimmel: Katie, 30, and Kevin, 28.
Jimmy was presumably referring to his youngest daughter Jane in his tweet, though it wasn’t clear if she was the likely vector for the COVID-19 infections, or if he was just joking with his fans.
Out of the nest: He also has two adult children from his first marriage to Gina Kimmel: Katie, 30, and Kevin, 28; seen with Gillian Anderson on April 12
Luckily for Jimmy, comedian Mike Birbiglia was in town to replace him.
Birbiglia, who also acts and co-wrote and directed the autobiographical film Sleepwalk With Me, will be performing on Tuesday night in Los Angeles as part of the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival.
He’ll presumably tape Jimmy’s show in the afternoon before heading over to the Theatre at Ace Hotel for his live performance, as the show is pre-taped, contrary to what its name would suggest.
Perfect timing: Luckily for Jimmy, comedian Mike Birbiglia was in town to replace him, as he’s performing on Tuesday night for the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival; seen in October in NYC