Are Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel Friends Despite Having Wildly Different Politics?
Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla co-starred together on 'The Man Show' from 1999–2003, but they've taken very different paths since.
Published Feb. 15 2024, 1:09 p.m. ET
Some of us are old enough to remember The Man Show, which starred Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and ran on TV from 1999–2003.
Since that time, of course, Jimmy has taken on his own late-night show, and Adam, a longtime podcaster, well, isn't as mainstream.
Do the two former co-stars retain a friendship despite their different paths? It's hard to imagine given that Jimmy is pretty liberal, in true Hollywood fashion. Meanwhile, Adam is more conservative, and libertarian. So, are politics getting in the way of Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla being friends? Read on for the answer.
Jimmy Kimmel, Kathy Griffin, and Adam Carolla in L.A. in 2019
Are Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel friends?
Yes, Adam and Jimmy remain friends because they keep politics out of their relationship.
According to Adam, staying off certain topics helps him maintain a close friendship with his fellow famed comedian.
“We don’t talk politics,” Adam told OutKick in September 2023.
In fact, Adam completely understands his famous friend's politics, even if he isn't on the same course.
“If you host a popular, late-night show in Hollywood you’ve gotta get guests. If you started talking about Trump in a positive way and anti-vax this or that, it would be very injurious to your show,” the Fox News contributor told the outlet.
He went on to say about his good friend Jimmy, “I’m not saying he’s doing it to get bookings … Hollywood leans in a direction, and if you’re gonna navigate Hollywood, and you’re really a part of it, your politics are gonna come out a certain way. It can’t be a coincidence that everyone’s on the same page for everything … It’s no different than anyone who lived in Manhattan and was educated.”
Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel support one another after three decades of knowing one another.
Adam and Jimmy are still there for one another to this day.
For instance, the host of The Adam Carolla Show even defended his friend when Jimmy came under fire for previously using blackface in his comedy.
“He is the most decent person and generous person you’ve ever met,” Adam said. “If everyone was like Jimmy Kimmel we’d be living in a f---ing utopia.”
Meanwhile, Jimmy supports Adam's career, and has invited him on Jimmy Kimmel Live more than any other guest!
Adam has been a guest on the show an astonishing 50 times.
The comedians, who in 1994, are coming up on 30 years of friendship and working together on and off, with Adam and Jimmy touring together at times.
Adam even has Jimmy to thank for getting his start in the business, with the late-night host encouraging his friend to try radio decades ago.
“He sort of said, ‘Try something and see if you can make them laugh, and if you can do that you come back next week and try it again,’” Adam recounted in 2023. “I called in a bit, and it worked well enough to get me to the next week. Before we knew it, it was just a regular bit. And then it gained popularity and really took off.”