Jimmy Kimmel ”made peace” with Jay Leno following the birth of his son.
The 49-year-old talk show host has had a long-running feud with the broadcasting legend, but they put the past behind them after Jay reached out when Jimmy revealed on his show, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ in May that his wife Molly McNearney had given birth to their son William and the tot had needed surgery for a congenital heart defect.
Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Jimmy said: ”Jay and I have made peace. After my son had his operation, he called me and he was very nice.
”What he did was, you can’t argue with his success, his longevity.
I will say, when I was in high school, going to college, he was one of my all-time favorite comics.”
Among the jibes the pair have exchanged over the years were Jimmy – who also has three-year-old Jane with his spouse, as well as daughter Katie, 26, and son Kevin, 23, with his former wife Gina -accusing Jay of having ”sold out” and not having ”actual feelings”.
He previously said in 2013: ”As a comedian, you can’t not have disdain for what he’s done: He totally sold out.”
The same year, he also said: ”I always feel bad if I hurt anybody’s feelings, but I don’t believe Jay Leno has actual feelings, and he doesn’t seem to be that worried about other people’s feelings.”
And in 2015, Jay, 67, slammed Jimmy for being ”mean” and ”arrogant”.
He said: ”The most element you can have in doing a late night show is kindness. Because the show makes you arrogant. I think that’s Jimmy Kimmel’s problem. I think he’s a talented guy, I think he’s funny. But he has a mean streak, and it comes across.”
He later insisted: ”I never had any problems with the guy, but he chose to go after me. And that’s fine, welcome to show business.”
