Jimmy Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! honoring his lifelong friend and bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, who passed away earlier that day. Visibly overcome, Kimmel reflected on their decades-long bond and the indelible mark Escobedo left on the show and everyone who worked on it.
“We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way,” Kimmel said, his voice breaking. “But this one’s the hardest because late last night, early this morning, we lost someone very special who was too young to go.”
A Friendship That Started In Vegas
Kimmel and Escobedo grew up together in Las Vegas, a friendship that began in childhood and seamlessly carried into their professional lives. The host recalled a private, playful shorthand between them that became the heartbeat of their working relationship. “We had so many adventures. We laughed so hard. We had our own language that almost no one else understood,” Kimmel shared. “We didn’t have to say anything. We’d sit here at rehearsal every day… I knew he was thinking about looking at me, and I was thinking about looking at him. We look at each other like this, and that would be it.”
That connection also formed out of a shared admiration for late-night television. Kimmel remembered how the pair bonded over their love of David Letterman, and how surreal it felt to appear on The Late Show for the first time in 1999. It was one of many milestones they experienced together long before the ABC series would give their partnership a nightly stage.
From Child Prodigy To Late-Night Mainstay
On air, Kimmel celebrated Escobedo’s artistry as much as his friendship. He praised him as a “child prodigy” on the saxophone, a talent that led Escobedo to tour with Paula Abdul before joining Jimmy Kimmel Live! when the show launched in 2003. For Kimmel, there was never a question of who he wanted by his side once he got the green light for late-night.
Escobedo quickly became a cornerstone of the show, setting the tone with his musicianship while anchoring the joyful, loose energy that defined the program’s band. His chemistry with Kimmel—both on camera and behind the scenes—was part of the show’s DNA, shaped by years of friendship that predated their television careers.
A Band Built On Family — And A Community In Mourning
One of the most meaningful parts of building Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel said, was reuniting Escobedo with his father on stage, with both musicians playing in the show’s band. “The single best thing about doing this show was getting the opportunity to bring Cleto and his dad together in a band,” Kimmel said, underscoring how much the show’s musical family meant to him personally.
He continued with a heartfelt acknowledgment of Escobedo’s impact behind the scenes and within the studio community. “Everyone loves Cleto. Everyone here at the show — we are devastated by this. It’s just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind, and always funny person.” The remembrance balanced grief with the spirit Escobedo brought to work every day, including Kimmel’s candid, affectionate nod to their lifelong sense of humor: his friend, he joked, “loved to show his ass to others,” a mischievous mooning tradition they carried from childhood into adulthood.
While fighting back tears, Kimmel also took a moment to reflect on gratitude. “Even though I’m heartbroken to lose him, I’m going to take yet another lesson from him and acknowledge how lucky I was to have him at my side for so many years,” he said. He then announced that the show would take a short break as he and the staff grieve, sharing that he would be off the air for “the next couple of nights.”
Earlier in the day, Kimmel posted a moving tribute on Instagram, calling Escobedo “a great friend, father, son, musician, and man.” He urged fans and friends alike to hold their loved ones close, adding: “Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children, and parents in your prayers.”
For audiences who have watched Jimmy Kimmel Live! across two decades, Escobedo’s presence was a nightly constant—his saxophone, quick smile, and easy rapport with Kimmel helping to shape the show’s signature tone. Monday’s monologue placed a spotlight not just on the music, but on the friendship that made it resonate. Kimmel’s tribute honored a collaborator who was also a brother in every sense that mattered.
As the late-night staple pauses to mourn, the celebration of Escobedo’s life and career will continue in the memories of colleagues, viewers, and family who felt his warmth. Kimmel’s words made clear that his friend’s legacy extends far beyond the stage: it lives in the laughter they shared, the music that filled the studio, and the community he helped build night after night.
