Who did Jimmy Kimmel replace on ABC?
Q: I enjoyed seeing the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” 20th-anniversary special. What show did that talk show replace when it began? – Sam Cale, via email
A: When it started early in 2003, Kimmel’s program was ordered by ABC as a replacement for Bill Maher’s show “Politically Incorrect” ... but for the first 10 years, Kimmel’s show followed “Nightline” until it was moved to let it compete more directly against its CBS and NBC counterparts (hosted at the time by David Letterman and Jay Leno, respectively). “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” took a while to build ratings strength, with Kimmel using part of his recent anniversary show to thank the ABC executives “who didn’t fire me.” The network also has shown its continuing belief in him by enlisting him to host award shows – he’ll have his third turn hosting the Oscars on March 12 – and he plans to stay around for at least a while longer, since he signed a three-year contract extension with ABC last fall.
Q: I’ve liked seeing a lot of Laura Jarrett on “Today” lately, but I was used to seeing her on CNN. When did she leave that network? – Connie Quinn, St. Clairsville, Ohio
A: Last November, when it was announced that she would be departing from CNN, where she co-anchored the morning program “Early Start” with Christine Romans. A former lawyer who worked in private practice in Chicago, Harvard Law School graduate Jarrett also was an analyst of high-profile legal matters for CNN, a role that she’s now performing for NBC and its related cable and digital platforms ... something that was, and that has stayed, evident virtually from the moment she arrived there last month.