Jimmy Kimmel returned to television on Tuesday night to offer an explanation for his recent absence. The late-night TV host had a good reason for canceling Jimmy Kimmel Live! the previous night.
The ABC show was slated to return on Monday night after a week-long hiatus. Seth Rogen, Jake Tapper, and Kali Uchis were all scheduled to appear as Kimmel's guests.
But instead, the episode was canceled. ABC aired a rerun its place, leaving fans confused about the status of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
“We are back to work after an extra day off. You know, we were supposed to have a show last night, but we didn’t because my daughter had a baby last night,” Kimmel said on Tuesday night's episode.
The comedian's oldest daughter, Katie (33), gave birth to Kimmel's first grandchild right around the time the late-night show films. So, Kimmel chose to be with his daughter and canceled Monday night's episode.
“My oldest daughter, you know, people don’t realize … people know I have two little kids, they don’t know I have two older kids,” Kimmel said, “My oldest daughter, she’s 83 years old," he joked.
Kimmel, 57, has two children, Katie and Kevin, from his first marriage to Gina Maddy Kimmel. He shares two children with his current wife, Molly McNearney.
“The baby’s very healthy," Kimmel added. "They gave her a very cute name. Her name is Melania. It’s Melania Thee Stallion,” he joked before revealing the baby's real name. “Her name is Patti. Like the melt, but with an ‘I’ not a ‘Y.’”
Sarah Silverman congratulated Jimmy Kimmel on becoming a grandfather
It was fitting that Jimmy Kimmel's first episode as a grandfather featured someone close to him. Sarah Silverman, Kimmel's ex-girlfriend, was the scheduled guest on Tuesday night.
Kimmel asked Silverman how she felt about once dating someone who is now a grandfather. The stand-up called it a "bummer," much to Kimmel's amusement.
Silverman also had a gift for the new grandpa. She gave the late-night host a "grandpa bag" that included a hard candy, a penny, lint, a button, and string. Silverman also added a doctored photo of Kimmel as a soldier, suggesting he needed to be a hero to his new granddaughter.