The late-night host is “heartbroken” over the loss of her childhood friend and is trying to remember “how lucky I was to have had him literally by my side for so many years.”
Jimmy Kimmel’s right to free speech is not up for debate
Since Jimmy Kimmel’s sudden exit from late-night television, many have questioned the government’s attempts to control television.
Jimmy Kimmel has had an emotional year. First, Charlie Kirk’s show was canceled following his comments about his death. Then his resounding reply.
But on Nov. 11, he spoke heartfeltly to the audience about the death of bandleader Cleto Escobedo. Escobedo, 59, was more than just a musician and colleague, he was Kimmel’s best friend since childhood.
The two grew up as neighbors in Las Vegas in the 1970s and quickly became inseparable. “Cleto taught me all the dirty things,” Kimmel joked, recounting stories including a “fuss-out” with a friend in the car and a trip to a novelty shop in Las Vegas where Escobedo returned with a pocket full of what looked like a large rubber penis.
“We had a lot of adventures. We had a lot of laughs. We had our own language,” the late night host said. “We loved the same things: baseball, fishing, boxing, (Muhammad) Ali, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Woody Allen, Michael McDonald, Huey Lewis, Stevie Wonder, and most of all, David Letterman.”
Kimmel talked about how Escobedo was a “phenomenal saxophone player” who followed in his father’s footsteps. A few years ago, the elder Cleto Escobedo gave up his career because he didn’t want to miss out on traveling and raising his family. His son, Cleto III, eventually played professionally, touring with Paula Abdul and landing a record deal. When the album did not do well, he returned to tour and performed with the band in local bars.
And in 2002, Kimmel hosted a talk show. “When you do a show like this, you need a few things: you need a desk, you need an announcer, you need Guillermo, you need a band,” he said. “And of course I wanted Cleto to lead the band.” He also wanted something else. It was for Cleto’s father to take part in it.
But Kimmel was worried about pitching the idea to networks. The pitch to hire the saxophonist’s best friend from elementary school didn’t sound all that convincing. “But that is had He set up an audition and told Escobedo to bring in his father, who hadn’t played in over 20 years. Officials at the network liked their performance “and have worked with them almost every day for 23 years,” Kimmel said.
“I’ve often said that the best thing about doing this show was picking up where Cleto Sr. left off and having the opportunity to be a musician again with my son,” he said.
Kimmel teared up when talking about this and pointed out Cleto’s mother, Sylvia, in the audience. They were his “second parents,” he explained. “I’ve known these guys since fourth grade. In 47 years, these guys have never yelled at me,” he joked. He also mentioned Cleto’s wife Lori and their children Jesse and Cruz. “I wish as my kids grow up I could remind them how much he loved them, because that’s a lot,” he said, almost sobbing.
Escobedo’s cause of death has not been announced, but Kimmel thanked the doctors and nurses at UCLA Health who treated the saxophonist with “incredible care” and his family and friends who supported him “through these terrible months.”
The monologue also included some laughs, including memories of the pair’s habit of swearing at people and how Escobedo would repeatedly “pull down his pants” on set as a joke.
“Take care of your friends, we’re not going to be here forever,” Kimmel reminded the audience before announcing that the show would be taking “a few more nights off.”
