Jimmy Kimmel recalls first night on his talk show after 20 years: ‘I had a terrible cough’

Jimmy Kimmel reflected back on the night in which his first show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was aired in 2003.

This was the network’s first traditional late night talk show after 1991’s Into the Night With Rick Dees.

Among all of other hosts including Leno, Letterman, O’Brien and Kilborn, Kimmel has proven to be the only longest-tenured host in the genre.

On Thursday, a primetime Jimmy Kimmel Live! anniversary special recounted some of the show’s old memories by bringing back the original guests from the very first night: George Clooney, Snoop Dogg and Coldplay.

During the anniversary special show Kimmel reflected on the first night of the show and shared some of the unknown facts.

“I actually remember some very specific, non on-air things about that night. One of them is I had made the very foolish mistake of spending almost two full weeks leading up to the show working on a segment called “Jimmy Says Goodbye to Cable” the host revealed.

He further continued “The idea was I would say goodbye to all these different cable shows. So I said goodbye to Jon Stewart at “The Daily Show” and Christopher Lowell on HGTV and Larry King and SportsCenter. I went to New York and I went to Connecticut and I went down to Orange County, I was like all over the place shooting this bit.”

“And I also was part of a Super Bowl special for MTV the day before my premiere in San Diego. So that morning I woke up in San Diego, got on a bus and headed to LA and did the show. I watched George Clooney’s movie, the movie he was promoting, in that bus from San Diego."

"I was totally unprepared for the show itself. I had almost no jokes written. I had a terrible cough and was very sick that night. I couldn’t stop coughing moments before the show started. And the stage manager didn’t want to give me $2 to buy some cough drops at the little souvenir shop next door.” He added.

He further noted, “Luckily, a woman who was doing my hair gave me gave me $2, I ran in grabbed the roll of cough drops. I chomped all of them on my way into the studio and was able to keep it together without coughing for the monologue. But I remember while I was doing the show still being so mad at the stage manager.”