How Jimmy Kimmel preps for the Oscars and why the end of his talk show may be near

It’s 30 days before the Academy Awards, and Jimmy Kimmel is in a hotel in Las Vegas, the town where he grew up. People were really laughing, and I loved it.” In the ensuing decades, the 56-year-old comedian has hosted everything from the American Music Awards to the Emmys — and, of course, there’s his talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which just celebrated its 21st anniversary. I know how much work goes into them, so I thought, ‘Yeah, I don’t necessarily want to do this ever again.’ ” Jimmy Kimmel finally got his idol, David Letterman, as a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” in 2012. That’s when his idol and eventual friend David Letterman became aware of Kimmel, booking him on “Late Show.” “I did his show a bunch of times, and that’s what attracted the attention of the ABC executives.” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” quickly established itself as an alternative to the other late-night programs. On an episode of “Strike Force Five,” the podcast he recorded with his fellow talk-show hosts during the writers’ strike, he confessed he’d pondered ending “Jimmy Kimmel Live” — it was the strike that made him realize how much he still enjoyed it.