Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Jon Stewart Was “About to Close the Deal” for ABC Late-Night Show — Until Disney Saw His Tape

In a surprising revelation, Jimmy Kimmel has shared that The Daily Show legend Jon Stewart was originally on the verge of hosting ABC’s late-night show — until a fateful tape changed television history.

Speaking candidly about his career’s turning point, Kimmel said that his longtime manager, James “Baby Doll” Dixon, was “about to close this deal” for Jon Stewart to host what would eventually become Jimmy Kimmel Live! But fate — and a bit of Disney pragmatism — intervened.

“Jon and I have the same manager, James ‘Baby Doll’ Dixon,” Kimmel recalled. “And James was about to close this deal for Jon to host the show… [ABC chairman Lloyd Braun] watched my tape and he was like, ‘I think this might be the guy.’ He brought the tape to Bob Iger, and Iger said, ‘Yeah, I think this might be the guy.’”

What followed was an awkward — and career-defining — conversation.
“James was in the difficult position of having to tell Jon, ‘Uh, you’re not going to ABC, but Jimmy is going to ABC,’” Kimmel explained.

At the time, Kimmel was best known for The Man Show and making football picks on Fox NFL Sunday — hardly the pedigree of a late-night host in the eyes of Hollywood executives. Even Kimmel himself couldn’t quite believe the decision.

“I said [to Iger], ‘What was it? Like, why—this is quite a leap you guys made. I was on The Man Show!’” Kimmel said, laughing. “He goes, ‘Well, you were cheaper.’ And everybody laughed, but I knew he wasn’t kidding.”

That offhand remark, Kimmel admitted, probably wasn’t a joke — and it’s a reminder of how television decisions are often made as much in boardrooms as in writers’ rooms.

The rest, of course, is TV history. Jimmy Kimmel Live! debuted in 2003, eventually becoming a late-night institution and turning Kimmel into one of the most recognizable hosts in America. Stewart, meanwhile, returned to The Daily Show and built his own legacy as one of the most influential satirists of his generation.

Fans of both comedians can only imagine the alternate universe where Stewart took the ABC slot — and Kimmel never became the face of late-night comedy. But as Kimmel’s story proves, sometimes all it takes is the right tape, the right timing, and — as Bob Iger might put it — the right price.

Headline Variations (for click or SEO options):

Jimmy Kimmel Says He Got His ABC Job Because He Was “Cheaper” Than Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart Nearly Hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Before Disney Changed Its Mind

How Jimmy Kimmel Beat Jon Stewart for ABC’s Late-Night Slot — and the “Cheap” Reason Why

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals the Shocking Reason Disney Chose Him Over Jon Stewart