Jimmy Kimmel used to \u201cpray\u201d for a time when ABC would cancel his eponymous late-night talk show.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what I was doing, and I would pray that they canceled the show sometimes,\u201d the comedian confessed to Ted Danson<\/a> during Wednesday\u2019s episode of the\u00a0\u201cWhere Everybody Knows Your Name\u201d\u00a0podcast, while reminiscing over the earlier days of his career.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want to quit because I didn\u2019t want to disappoint all the many people who worked for me, but I couldn\u2019t. I was just \u2014 I couldn\u2019t do it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Jimmy Kimmel divulged why he used to \u201cpray\u201d ABC would cancel his eponymous late night show. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I was doing,\u201d he said during Wednesday\u2019s episode of the\u00a0\u201cWhere Everybody Knows Your Name\u201d\u00a0podcast. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images<\/p>\n Kimmel \u2014 whose show was briefly suspended<\/a> last month due to controversial comments he made following the death of Charlie Kirk<\/a> \u2014 went on to share some of the specific challenges he faced when he first began hosting \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d in 2003. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was just, like, we didn\u2019t have guests many times. We\u2019d go on the air live at midnight, at 12:05,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were times it was 5:30 in the afternoon and we didn\u2019t have guests for that night\u2019s show, and I would have to just pick up the phone and call my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel remembered feeling frustrated with the situation, saying, \u201cThat\u2019s not how you go into a show. You can\u2019t operate that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just couldn\u2019t do it anymore,\u201d said Kimmel, seen here in 2011 with actor Robert Downey Jr. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images<\/p>\n The talk show host relied on longtime friends, like then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman<\/a>, to help him out.<\/p>\n \u201cI asked her to come on a lot<\/a> and I love her,\u201d he shared, adding that he also repeatedly tapped pals Adam Carolla, David Alan Grier, Anthony Anderson and Kathy Griffin for appearances.<\/p>\n \u201cGod bless them, because I needed them,\u201d he gushed. \u201cAnd they were always ready at a moment\u2019s notice to come on.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, the show finally found its footing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt stabilized and we figured out how to do it,\u201d Kimmel, 57, said, recalling how he began implementing \u201crunning bits\u201d and other elements to help \u201ckeep [him] afloat.\u201d<\/p>\n The comedian, pictured above with \u201cTwilight\u201d star Robert Pattinson, also said he\u2019d had trouble procuring guests during the early days of the show. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images<\/p>\n Kimmel, seen here with Austin Butler, said he eventually \u201cfigured out how to do it.\u201d Disney<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s latest remarks come just weeks after the network suspended his late-night show over his \u201cill-timed\u201d Kirk comments.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Jimmy Kimmel Live\u2019 will be pre-empted indefinitely,\u201d a spokesperson told Page Six at the time.<\/p>\n The move came after TV station conglomerate Nextar threatened to pre-empt the program, noting in a statement that the company \u201cstrongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s remarks come a month after \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d was pulled from the air by ABC over the comedian\u2019s comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. Disney<\/p>\n He returned tot he show on Sept. 23. ABC\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Kimmel being taken off the air polarized the public, with hundreds of celebrities \u2014 including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, and more \u2014 condemning the decision<\/a> in a letter, calling it a threat to free speech.<\/p>\n