what did kimmel do to leno
Jimmy Kimmel publicly roasted and embarrassed Jay Leno on Leno’s own show back in 2010, mainly over the Conan O’Brien “Tonight Show” mess, and that’s what people mean when they ask “what did Kimmel do to Leno.”
Quick Scoop: What Actually Happened
In January 2010, during the NBC late‑night fiasco involving Conan O’Brien and “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Kimmel went on “The Jay Leno Show” as a guest.
Instead of a friendly appearance, he used the segment to repeatedly jab Leno about taking “The Tonight Show” back from Conan, making Leno look bad on his own turf.
A key moment people quote:
- Leno asked Kimmel about the best prank he’d ever pulled.
- Kimmel fired back with a very thinly veiled shot at Leno, joking that he told a guy he’d give him his show in five years, did it, and then “took it back almost instantly” – a clear reference to Conan.
Leno later said Kimmel “humiliated” or “embarrassed” him on his own show and that his mistake was letting it air unedited.
Why It Blew Up
A few reasons this became such a big talking point:
- Context: the Conan drama
- NBC had moved Leno out of “The Tonight Show,” put Conan in, then tried to move Conan to a later time when ratings slipped, leading Conan to leave and Leno to reclaim the show.
* Many viewers and comics felt Conan got screwed, and Kimmel was firmly on “Team Conan.”
- Roasting the host on his own show
- Late‑night teasing is normal, but a guest relentlessly dunking on the host in a serious, real controversy felt harsher than usual.
* Leno later called it “my mistake” for trusting Kimmel and not cutting the segment, saying he decided he should “pay the price.”
- Fan reaction and meme status
- Clips of Kimmel grilling Leno circulated heavily online and in fan communities, especially among Conan supporters.
* People still refer to it as one of the wildest late‑night moments and the start (or peak) of the Kimmel–Leno feud.
Where Things Stand Now
In more recent interviews, Leno has talked about that night as a painful but accepted part of his late‑night history.
He’s said he takes responsibility for airing it, views it as a lesson, and has indicated that he and Kimmel eventually made peace, even if they were never close friends.
Bottom line: what Kimmel “did” to Leno was go on Leno’s show during the Conan/NBC controversy and ruthlessly call him out on-air, to the point Leno himself later described it as being humiliated on his own show.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.