In a recent interview with Deadline ahead of his upcoming gig at the Emmy Awards, late night host Jimmy Kimmel shared some kind words about his late night competitors, including known comedic adversary Jay Leno.
Although Jimmy Fallon is the only other late night host who Kimmel says he's really "pals" with, he admitted that David Letterman, whether he knows it or not, is someone he idolizes and who has shaped his sense of humor:
"I know it’s probably disturbing to say you idolize somebody, but if I had to pick somebody to say that about, it would probably be him," Kimmel said.
When asked about Craig Ferguson and Jay Leno, Kimmel called them both "nice guys." A follow-up question about Leno being a pariah among the late night hosts led Kimmel to compliment him again before admitting that he just doesn't like the guy:
"I mean, Jay’s a very polite guy. He’s a very, well, he’s polite. But it’s funny, people ask me about him a lot, so he must be important in some way. I’m just not a big fan," Kimmel said.
Leno and Kimmel's less-than-friendly relationship inspired bits on both hosts' shows earlier this year. You might also remember that during the great Leno/Conan feud of 2010, Kimmel defended Team Coco by dressing up as Leno and later going after him on his own show.
Click over to Deadline for the full Q&A, wherein Kimmel talks about hosting the Emmys and the White House Correspondents Dinner (not to mention his dreams of someday opening a restaurant).
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