“Jimmy Kimmel….I Thought They Were Gonna Fire You”: Shaquille O’Neal Joins Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Anniston and Rest of the Hollywood to Celebrate Special Day

On 26th January 2003, Jimmy Kimmel sat down in his studio for the very first time to host Jimmy Kimmel Live! During the same time, Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers were marching toward the playoffs while Jennifer Aniston’s show Friends was still on-air. Both these stars nor the rest of the world were aware of Kimmel’s show. However, 20 years later, they all came together to celebrate Jimmy Kimmel. 

Through the years, Kimmel has grown to be an important part of the NBA and Hollywood communities. Kimmel has interviewed players and actors on several occasions all while developing friendships and unbreakable bonds. Together, they laughed and made fond memories. Shaquille O’Neal, Jennifer Aniston, Hugh Jackman, and others recently took time to record a video for their dear friend’s 20-year-long achievement. 

Shaquille O’Neal congratulates Jimmy Kimmel

In 2017, Shaq, who appears on the show quite often, gave a monologue. He did this to start a week of guests hosting the show while Kimmel spent time with his family. As he did on the court, according to a report on Vanity Fair, the Big Diesel left fans in awe of his performance. His monologue was filled with jokes that left the audience in a fit of laughter.

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With this success on his mind, earlier in the day, Shaq had a question while congratulating his dear friend. He said, “I thought they were going to fire you after I did the monologue and I stole the show.” He jokingly claimed that he was surprised that Kimmel had not been laid off.

Shaq stated that if Kimmel managed to survive Shaq’s success as the host of his show, he could endure anything life threw at him. Furthermore, the four-time champion expressed that he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that it had been 20 years since the first episode aired. He said, “Jimmy Kimmel, my good friend, I want to say congratulations on 20 years. I can’t believe it’s that long.” 

Jennifer Aniston, Hugh Jackman, and more shower Jimmy Kimmel with love

Hugh Jackman yelled in an excited tone while claiming that Kimmel was one of the best in the business. He said, “You do an amazing job, I love you, man.” Before Jackman’s turn, the former First Lady Michelle Obama thanked Kimmel for his positivity, humor, and grace.

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A list of celebrities like Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and more appeared in the video and shared their love for the late-night host. Following them, Jennifer Aniston said, “Congratulations. I would please like 20 more years because I don’t want you to ever leave my television set”.