Jimmy Kimmel has no plans to trade his late-night desk for the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom, even after watching his longtime sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez take on the competition.
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host, 58, ruled out competing on the dance show while speaking to Page Six at the LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade Stand event in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 17.
“No, no, no,” Kimmel said when asked whether he would ever join the ABC competition. “I would not.”
Kimmel Praised Rodriguez for His Effort on the Show
Although Kimmel has no interest in testing his own dance skills, he had plenty of praise for Rodriguez, 55, who was eliminated during the fifth week of the current season.
“I’ve never seen him work harder at anything. Or I’ve never even seen him work hard before,” Kimmel joked, adding that watching Rodriguez compete had been “exciting.”
Rodriguez and his professional partner, Witney Carson, exited the competition on Oct. 13 during the show’s first-ever “Super Bowl Night.” The pair performed a salsa to Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” earning a combined score of 22 out of 40 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Joe Buck.
Despite earning their highest score of the season, Rodriguez and Carson landed at the bottom of the leaderboard and were sent home.
Kimmel made his disappointment clear during his monologue that night, joking about the outcome and Rodriguez’s reliance on viewers to keep him in the competition.
“Once again, Guillermo’s in the bottom two. And once again, he relied on you, the viewers, to pull him through,” the comedian said, describing the elimination as a “kick in the Mirrorballs.”
The host later welcomed Rodriguez and Carson for their usual behind-the-scenes interview, where he continued to challenge the results.
“First of all, this is an outrage,” Kimmel said. “Will you accept the results or will you take legal action?”
Rodriguez Said He Had a Great Time on DWTS
Rodriguez played along, responding, “I think we should take a legal action.” Carson also embraced the joke, telling Kimmel, “Absolutely. I’m ready.”
While Kimmel was unhappy about the elimination, he had glowing words for Carson, 32, whose choreography helped guide Rodriguez through the season.
“Your choreography this season has been absolutely incredible,” he told her. “The situations you put Guillermo in. Really, really impressive. Honestly, you’ve taken this lump of Play-Doh and you sculpted him into a masterpiece.”
Rodriguez, meanwhile, appeared grateful for the experience despite his early departure.
“I had a lot of fun. It was great,” he said. “Witney, I love you for teaching me how to dance.”
Carson, who is expecting her third child, also thanked Rodriguez for making the experience enjoyable and looking after her throughout the competition.
Although Rodriguez’s run has ended, Kimmel’s comments made clear that he was proud of his sidekick’s commitment to the challenge. As for whether the late-night host might someday follow Rodriguez onto the dance floor, his answer was definitive: He would rather stay behind the microphone.
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Jimmy Kimmel Reveals If He Would Go on ‘DWTS’