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Jimmy Kimmel says Hollywood strikes inspired him to not retire

Kimmel said he had a change of heart when he realized, for him, "it's kind of nice to work." It was unclear if he could have broken his contract.
Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks at the Oscars.
Posted at 10:03 PM, Aug 31, 2023

Jimmy Kimmel said on his Spotify podcast that he had recently thought about going into retirement despite having signed a three-year contract with ABC in 2022. But, he said, the Hollywood strike inspired him to hold off because he says he suddenly realized, "it's kind of nice to" just "work." 

Kimmel said on his "Strike Force Five" streaming show, "I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started," signaling that he could have been thinking about breaking that contract with the network. 

"Now I realize, oh yeah, it's kind of nice to work," he said. 

Proposal to end Hollywood writers strike met with repulsion
Strikers walk a picket line outside Warner Bros., Discovery, and Netflix offices in Manhattan.

Proposal to end Hollywood writers strike met with repulsion

Writers have been on strike since May, but the first counterproposal to come from the industry was quickly decried by the union.

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The exact terms of Kimmel's contract with ABC are unclear, but it was renewed with the latest signature, Variety reported

Members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May after their union was not successful in agreeing on new terms during contract negotiations for Hollywood studios and streaming platforms. 

In late August, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers releaseda proposed contract with writers. The two sides hope to end an impasse that has kept the TV and film industries on hold this year.