Originally appeared on E! Online
Jimmy Kimmel is once again on the receiving end of some award show backlash.
During the 2024 Emmys on Sept. 15, the comedian took the stage at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles immediately following the In Memoriam segment honoring the year's fallen stars. However, his tribute to late friend and TV icon Bob Newhart — who died in July at the age of 94 — was met with mixed reviews on social media.
Kimmel kicked off his speech with, "And the Emmy for deceased industry professional we will miss most goes to..." before adding, "This is the time in the show when we remember the people who've we've lost over the last year, one I was very lucky to know, and that was Bob Newhart."
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"Those of you who knew Bob, who knew him personally, know he was exactly who you thought he would be," the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host gushed. "He did not have range. He didn't need to have range. Bob had what very few comedians have, especially today: A degree in accounting."
Kimmel went on to praise the late "Elf" star as "humble" and a "politely hilarious man" who was long under-recognized by the Academy.
"He had his first Emmy nomination in 1962 and didn't win one until 2013 51 years later," Kimmel noted, "which is a great lesson and that lesson is Jon Stewart, you should be ashamed of yourself. You said you were retiring."
All jokes aside, Kimmel concluded, "Bob Newhart was one of our most loved and funniest people for more than 60 years and we will miss him for many years to come."
After the appearance, some viewers called out Kimmel's light-hearted monologue following the In Memoriam segment.
"Jimmy Kimmel literally just said the worst joke after a sad moment recognizing everyone in the industry who’ve unfortunately passed," one X (formerly known as Twitter) user wrote while another posted, "Sorry. I just don’t find Jimmy Kimmel funny anymore… it wasn’t classy to make that joke or have him come out after such an emotional ‘In Memoriam’ [performance] by Jelly Roll like that."
Meanwhile, another user commented, "Jimmy Kimmel remains not funny. Like that was cringy. Like what are you saying? Ugh, tacky."
However, Newhart's children were pleased by the honor.
"We were all so touched by the Emmy tribute tonight. Dad would have been so honored," read a tweet from his X account. "Thank you to @jimmykimmel and @TelevisionAcad."
