Jimmy Kimmel Falls Ill, Cancels Event With Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert

Kimmel announced on Wednesday that he tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to drop out of the upcoming "Strike Force Three" show in Las Vegas. The show has been canceled altogether.

By Michael Hein

Jimmy Kimmel tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, forcing him to cancel an upcoming live event called "Strike Force Three." Kimmel would have taken the stage with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert, but now the entire event has been canceled. Kimmel shared the sad news in a social media post.

"Well, Las Vegas, I got Covid, and sadly, we need to cancel this weekend's Strike Force Three show," he wrote. "I could never live with myself if I got my hometown friends sick. Thanks to all who purchased tickets, everyone will get full refunds and we will try to reschedule if possible." 

This "Strike Force Three" show was meant to be a live iteration of the Strike Force Five podcast – a show that Kimmel, Fallon, Colbert, Seth Meyers and John Oliver started in August. In addition to giving them a platform while their shows are off the air, the podcast raises money that goes to the writers and crew members of the show, allowing them to stand strong on the WGA strike.

Strike Force Five premiered on Aug. 30 on Spotify, and it kicked off with some prominent sponsors including Mint Mobile and Diageo. The hosts are giving all the money from those sponsorships to their striking writers and crew members, as well as the money from live show tickets. The show itself consists largely of conversations about the strike, and about the state of labor in the U.S. in general.

The podcast is planned as a limited series with just 12 weeks total. This live show would have been held at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas on Sept. 23. There are no other live shows scheduled yet and there's no word on when this one might be rescheduled.

There are six episodes of Strike Force Five so far, all about an hour in length. New episodes have been premiering somewhat sporadically, but they are all available on Spotify. The show's instant success proved a point for many listeners – that the talent within the entertainment industry can draw a crowd without the support of the studios they are striking against.

The Writers Guild of America went on strike on May 2 and the actors guild, SAG-AFTRA, followed suit in July. The studios they are striking against are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So far there have only been two official meetings between the AMPTP and WGA – one of which began on Wednesday of this week. There is no predicting when the strike may be resolved.

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