A movement is underway in one of the three organizations that administer the Emmy Awards to rename the award to “The Jimmy” in the wake of the explosive controversy involving the host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! Kimmel, who had hosted the 11:30 show since 2003, was “indefinitely suspended” by the network on September 16 after jokes he made about the assassination of political activist and Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk were deemed offensive by government regulators and ABC affiliates.
The industry has risen to Kimmel’s defense. “There has never been a more outrageous example of government censorship,” a petition presented by members to the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) reads. “The “Emmy” name makes no symbolic statement of principle. The Jimmy Award can and will.”
The Emmys are managed jointly by three organizations: NATAS, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS). They were started in 1949 by ATAS as a regional award for southern California.
Kimmel is recognized as a deeply engrained member of the Emmy family, said a source with knowledge of the movement within NATAS. In addition to hosting the awards in 2012, 2016 and 2020, Kimmel has been nominated 29 times, starting in 1999 for a daytime game show and continuing through nods for writing, producing and hosting. Kimmel has three Emmy wins, including 2025 for his hosting of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” Interestingly, he has never won an Emmy for his late night show, while late night competitors Jon Steward and John Oliver have snagged a total of 19 wins.
As the petition references, the Emmy is not named in honor of any individual, but is stilted slang for a type of tube used in early televisions called an “immy.” “The rebirth, rebranding and relaunch of our award as “The Jimmy” will mark the beginning of an era where we will fight for our freedom as artists in the face of government oppression.”
Over the years, Kimmel has not been shy in expressing his deeply felt liberal political convictions, perhaps most famously in his teary Nov. 7, 2024 mmonologue mourning Donald Trump’s election victory. In an extended piece, Kimmel feigned packing to move out of the country, citing his certainty that he is on Trump’s enemies list.
We reached out to spokespeople from ATAS and IATAS, who said they had no knowledge of any renaming petition among their members. The FCC had no comment other than to repeat their assertion that Kimmel’s jokes were “sick.” Turning Point USA responded with an immediate text reply: “FAFO.”
