Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Pauses This Week Following Cleto Escobedo III’s Death

Jimmy Kimmel has announced a temporary hiatus from his show following the passing of his longtime friend and musical director, Cleto Escobedo III, who was also affectionately known as Jr.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! will not air for the remainder of the week. This decision was made after Kimmel delivered a heartfelt tribute to his friend, whom he had known since their childhood.

“At the end of the day, cherish your friends; our time here isn’t guaranteed,” he concluded his monologue. “Thanks for allowing me this moment. We’ll be taking a break for the next few nights. I needed to be here tonight to share about my friend. Cleto was a huge fan of Eddie Murphy, and he would have hated for us to miss out on this.”

Tonight’s episode featured Eddie Murphy, who appeared to promote his new Netflix documentary, Being Eddie, alongside Morgan Fairchild.

The show’s temporary pause means rescheduling appearances for several guests; Danny DeVito, Howard Jones, and Debbie Gibson were expected on Wednesday, while Jason Bateman, Mr. T, and Susanna Hoffs were slated for Thursday.

Kimmel began the episode by expressing, “We’ve been broadcasting for nearly 23 years, and I’ve delivered some tough monologues over that time,” he shared. “But tonight’s monologue is undoubtedly the most difficult because we’ve lost someone truly special, far too soon.”

He reminisced about their shared admiration for David Letterman and recalled how significant it was for both of them when he first appeared on Letterman’s show in 1999.

Kimmel praised Escobedo as a musical prodigy, particularly noting his exceptional talent with the saxophone, and acknowledged his impressive collaborations, including with Paula Abdul.