Despite a shocking level of complacency from the anti-mask/anti-vaxx crowd, we're not out of the woods yet with COVID-19. Although she has since tested negative, Vice President Kamala Harris had a brief brush with COVID, and now we can add Jimmy Kimmel to that list as well.
Yesterday Kimmel announced that he has contracted COVID-19 from his daughter and will briefly step away from his popular late-night show.
While the news of Kimmel's illness isn't great, there is a silver lining to the dark cloud. Comedian Mike Birbiglia is going to take the reigns from Kimmel while he recovers.
After Kimmel's announcement, Birbiglia joked about how he learned he'd be substituting for Kimmel, tweeting, "I must be the first person to ever deplane a Southwest Airlines flight and find out they're guest-hosting a late night talk show. Sending love to the Kimmels. See you on the TV tomorrow, friends."
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jimmy-kimmel-covid-1235139214/
Birbiglia is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated stand-up comedians around and has put out consistently quality content for several decades. In addition to stand-up, Birbiglia has quietly put together an impressive body of work in film and television. In 2012 Birbiglia wrote, directed, and starred in an adaptation of his stage show Sleepwalk with Me, which was met with critical acclaim. Hopefully, Birbiglia's stint as Kimmel's replacement will prove as fruitful for his career as John Oliver's time as Jon Stewart's sub on The Daily Show.
