Jimmy Kimmel will do a lot on his show, but on Thursday night, he wouldn’t do an impression of Stephen A. Smith. According to the ABC host, he didn’t need to get fired a second time this month.

The moment came as Kimmel welcomed Roy Wood Jr. as his second guest of the night, in support of the “Daily Show” alum’s new book. As Kimmel discussed it, he was particularly amused by a blurb Smith wrote for Wood.

“Listen, I’ve seen a lot of memoirs come and go,” Smith said. “But what Roy did in this one, this is different.”


The sentiment made Kimmel chuckle, and wonder what Smith might’ve meant. For his part, Wood just hoped that it meant Smith actually read the book when they sent it to him. But, the comedian had a request.

“But you got to read it in his voice,” Wood said. “Do it again, read it in Stephen A. Smith’s voice.”

“I think it’d be wiser if you did that,” Kimmel immediately retorted, earning a hearty laugh from Wood. “I got fired once this month, I don’t need another one.”

Wood conceded that was probably a smart decision as he controlled his laughter. In fact, the comedian poked a little fun at Kimmel’s temporary suspension (which actually happened in September, not October) when he first took the stage.

“Look at you! Still employed, man,” Wood marveled. “You look good! You look good Jimmy Kimmel.”

He also noted that his own uncle was shocked to hear Wood would be on the show, because he thought Kimmel was still “locked up” — and yes, he meant that literally. Wood’s uncle thought Kimmel got some jail time, which gave the late night host a good laugh.

You can watch Roy Wood Jr.’s full appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the video above.