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How Much Does Jimmy Kimmel Get Paid For The Oscars? We Were Surprised, Too
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It’s one of the most prestigious awards shows of the season, but we were surprised to learn how much Jimmy Kimmel gets paid for the Oscars. As it’s his fourth time hosting, you’d think they’d reward him with a bigger salary.

James Christian Kimmel was born on November 13, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York, and is a descendant of Italian immigrants. He was inspired by legendary talk-show host David Letterman’s star in radio, so Kimmel pursued radio as well while in high school. In 1989, after attending Arizona State University, he landed his first paying job alongside fellow former student Kent Voss as morning drive co-host of The Me and Him Show at KZOK-FM in Seattle.

“For the most part, from the moment I got a job in radio, I had to work very hard to make a living,” Kimmel told Success in 2014. The team performed several stunts and pranks on air, with one resulting in an $8,000 loss in advertising. They were fired a year later, and again as hosts at WRBQ-FM in Tampa.

He started out in TV writing promotional copy for Fox broadcasters but was soon recruited to do on-air announcing himself. Producer Michael Davies apparently offered him several TV shows but Kimmel declined them until he was offered a place as the comedic counterpart to Ben Stein on the game show Win Ben Stein’s Money, which debuted on Comedy Central in 1997.

Fast forward to now, the popular talk show personality finds himself at the center of attention for Hollywood’s night of nights. Here’s how much Jimmy Kimmel gets paid for the Oscars.

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