This Man Has All of Letterman's Neckties

JIMMY KIMMEL is Emmys host for a second time (ABC, Sept. 18) as the 48-year-old sits down with longtime pal TIM GOODMAN, THR’s chief TV critic, to talk about his hatred of the phrase ‘late-night landscape,’ why he refused to campaign for an award this year (‘it makes you feel like a real piece of shit’), the penis picture he’s going to text when he wants out of the business and that final gift he got from his idol

You have to be both host and nominee at this year’s Emmys. Are you nervous?

I get nervous any time I’m out of my studio, any time I’m in a different environment. I suspect I’ll be less nervous than I was last time. I watched my monologue from last time the other night just to see what worked and what didn’t work, and I was like, “Oh wow, I look nervous.” And it’s funny, I didn’t feel like I was nervous when I was doing it, but I kind of rushed through the jokes a little bit. I think you get better at it each time you do it. You become acclimated. So I figure I’ll be really good if I’m able to do it between nine and 11 times. In the year 2048, I’m gonna kill.

As a nominee, did you do any campaigning?

No, I didn’t do anything. I had done that a couple of times. Like, we had an event where you invite the Emmy voters to come and you do a panel. And there was a party where you meet people and stuff like that. And you know what? It’s a bummer, really.  It makes you feel like a real piece of shit. People shouldn’t vote for you because they like you or they met you at a bowling alley; they should vote for you if they think you’re the best one. And I don’t see myself doing that kind of thing ever again.

It’s a political year, so John Oliver is probably gonna win the Emmy. I’m going to be honest with you, John Oliver is gonna win and you’re not gonna win.

I think so. I think he does a great show, and honestly I don’t care that much. (Laughs.)

Hopefully when people hear the actual sound of this [you can listen to this full interview at THR.com], they’ll realize you were joking there. Do you feel like you’ve gotten better as a talk show host over the years?