While his usual demeanor is that of a funny and optimistic person, popular TV host Jimmy Kimmel was recently seen shedding tears on his late-night talk show live on air. In this most recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he mourned the death of his longtime friend, Cleto Escobedo III, saying:
We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years, and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way. But this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was much too young to go, and I’d like to tell you about him. If you don’t mind.
He also told the audience present and watching across the globe to cherish their friends and loved ones always, as they will not be around forever. And when it came to strong monologues that he talked about in the past, one of them was loosely related to President Donald Trump as well.
Jimmy Kimmel Once Also Gave a Powerful Monologue on Free Speech
When it comes to powerful speeches, the most prominent and recent one among them was when he delivered a monologue on the right to free speech. This was the time when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was indefinitely suspended by the ABC network after he made a controversial comment on the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in an episode.
And when that suspension was lifted a couple of weeks back, he came back with a stronger, more resolute expression. On the September 23rd episode of the show, he said:
Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country, and that’s something I’m embarrassed to say I took for granted until they pulled my friend Stephen off the air, and tried to coerce the affiliates who run our show in the cities that you live in to take my show off the air. That’s not legal. That’s not American. That is un-American.
In the same episode, he also clarified that he had no intentions of making any degrading or offensive comments in relation to Kirk’s death, but only wanted to talk about it.
Jimmy Kimmel and Cleto Escobedo III’s Friendship, Explained
Cleto Escobedo III, more important than being a Bandleader on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was the host’s friend for more than four decades. In his Instagram post (@jimmykimmel), he revealed that since he was 9 years old, he had been friends with Escobedo.
In the monologue, he revealed how his friend’s father, Escobedo Sr., was an amazing musician, a talent that his friend also inherited by playing the saxophone. And when ABC hired him to host his own talk show, he was sure to bring Escobedo and his father on board with him.
And now, since his friend passed away at the age of 59, Kimmel made sure to tell everyone the story of their friendship and journey on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Here’s more information on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is available to stream on Hulu (US).
