Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned on Monday night (January 13) after the Los Angeles wildfires shut down the late-night talk show last week, and the host paid an emotional tribute to the firefighters and California residents.
“As you know, it has been a very scary, very stressful, very strange week here in LA – where we work, where we live, where our kids go to school,” Kimmel began, holding back tears. He then threw to video footage of the fires, showing how close one blaze was to the studio where the show is filmed.
“Many of us had to leave our homes in a hurry. Some of our co-workers lost their homes… It’s been terrible,” he continued. “Everyone who lives in this city knows someone, most of us, multiple people, families, friends, colleagues, neighbors, whose houses burned down. And the truth is, we don’t even know if it’s over.”
Kimmel added, “We had 100 mile per hour winds fueling this nightmare. As of tonight, the winds are back. I think I speak for all of us when I say it has been a sickening, shocking, awful experience.”
However, the late-night host noted it has also been “a beautiful experience because once again, we see our fellow men and women coming together to support each other. People who lost their own homes were out volunteering to help others.”
Before thanking those who braved the fires to help others, Kimmel briefly addressed comments made by President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans.
“I don’t want to get into all the vile and irresponsible and stupid things our alleged future President and his gaggle of scumbags chose to say during our darkest and most terrifying hour,” he stated. “The fact that they chose to attack our firefighters, who apparently aren’t white enough to be out there, risking their lives on our behalf, is disgusting. But it’s not surprising.”
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Instead, Kimmel praised those helping in the disaster, saying, “Our firefighters from LA were the first on the scene without hesitation. They were out there, putting out the fires as best they could. And then we had firefighters from other states coming in from Nevada, from Arizona, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Northern California, New Mexico, Idaho, Maine. We have firemen and women from Mexico, from Canada, and we are very grateful to them.”
“And to our police, our National Guard, our rescue workers, doctors, the nurses, EMTs, the pilots working 12-hour shifts… thank God for all of you,” he added. “And if you want to thank these brave individuals with a donation, this is a very good place to start: Support LAFD.org.”
Finally, he said, “And I also want to thank our local news reporters, who reminded us how important local television and radio and newspapers are.”
Earlier in the day, Kimmel and his Jimmy Kimmel Live! co-workers transformed the studio’s parking lot into a donation point, which continues through Friday.
You can watch Kimmel’s full opening monologue in the video above.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35pm ET/PT, ABC
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