Adam Carolla Show – Carolla Classics: Jimmy Kimmel + Alison and Bryan (Sept 20, 2025)

Main Theme / Episode Overview

This “Carolla Classics” episode presents segments from two different Adam Carolla Show archive episodes featuring Adam’s long-time friend, late night host Jimmy Kimmel. The show is built around their signature unfiltered, irreverent banter, looking back on their years of collaboration, misadventures, and the unlikely trajectory from blue-collar jobs to TV and radio stardom. Allison Rosen and Bryan Bishop also join for the 2013 segment, broadening the dynamic with showbiz reflections, personal anecdotes, and riffing on pop culture, the media, and their own weaknesses and triumphs.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

I. Adam & Jimmy Kimmel: Catching Up and Banter (2009)

[00:54–76:50]

A. The Wardrobe “Riff”

• Adam and Jimmy open with Jimmy mocking Adam’s mismatched, almost “third world” attire.
• Jimmy: “You dress like people in a third world who wear whatever’s given to them.” [01:12]
• Adam explains he just came from a “No H8” photo shoot, poking fun at Hollywood’s empty activism.
• Adam: “They’re never going to develop the film.” [02:46]

B. Hollywood Activism & “No H8”

• Both lampoon the performative nature of celebrity activism.
• Adam reflects on doing causes just for image rather than impact.

C. Old Men’s Fashion & Generational Shifts

• Riff on how older men dress — from Larry King’s starched jeans to “adult baby shoes” and Skechers.
• Jimmy: “It’s the male equivalent to the old lady who refuses to cut her hair.” [06:29]
• Discussion about shoe trends, untied laces, and how Run DMC or airport security might be to blame.

D. The Ellen Degeneres / Rosie O’Donnell “Love Fest”

• Adam wonders why Ellen bothers him, hypothesizes there’s “a scary person behind the dancing person”—noting similarities to Rosie O’Donnell.
• Jimmy: “At Ellen, I know a few people that work there. They really have good things to say about Ellen.” [11:55]

E. Parents, Genetics, and Looks

• Warm, self-deprecating exchanges about which of their families are more attractive.
• Adam: “No child should ever have parents that are better looking than they are.” [13:03]
• Jimmy notes he’s “among the worst looking people” in his family.

F. Genetics, Height, Exercise & Unfairness

• Adam laments: despite a lifetime of sports and “200,000 wind sprints,” he looks “exactly the same” shirtless as Donnie, who never exercised and ate “Carney’s chili fries.”
• “Is that fucking fair?” [18:45]

G. Football, Parties, and Friendship

• Adam and Jimmy recall attempting to host football Sundays, only for no one to show up at Adam’s house.
• Riff about buying food for parties that nobody attends and missing “Dickie from the Bosstones” tending bar.

H. Physical Invisibility: “Bad Back Syndrome”

• Adam’s advice: always claim to have a “bad back” to get out of helping people move.
• “The bad back is the greatest thing because it’s invisible.” [36:47]

I. Stoner Culture, Reggae & Travel

• Adam confesses his hatred for reggae; Jimmy recalls seeing airport security in Jamaica wearing a bin Laden shirt.
• “Sadly, the guy who mows my lawn hates me a lot more than the guy who’s bringing me a daiquiri in Cabo.” [40:26]

J. Stories from the Road: Pahrump & Prostitution

• Adam details a miserable shoot in Pahrump, NV: rundown casinos, legal prostitution, and a depressing suite from the '60s.
• The guys reflect on the reality (and sadness) of brothels, “petting zoo of pigs,” and the clientele prostitutes encounter.

K. Media, Sports Gambling, and “The Ace Mushroom”

• References to Bill Simmons’ column; Adam is the unlucky “Ace mushroom” who ruins others’ bets.
• “If I took my shirt off right now… you could tell no fucking discernible difference between us.” [18:54]

L. Jimmy’s Showbiz Routine

• Jimmy outlines a day-in-the-life of a nightly talk show host: writers’ meeting at 11am, rehearsal at 2pm, taping at 7pm, plus hands-on involvement editing scripts.
• Preference for cue cards over teleprompters: “You can be loose with cue cards.” [62:41]

M. Acting, Memorization, and The Reality of TV

• Extended riffing on how hard it is to memorize sitcom scripts and the tricks actors/writers use (cue cards, rewriting scripts for props), poking fun at Hollywood’s dysfunction.

N. Late Night Landscape

• Analyze changes post-Leno: TV ratings fragmentation, dwindling “pie,” and what constitutes “success.”
• Adam: “If in seven years you’re still on the air, you’re doing good.” [75:46]

II. Adam, Jimmy, Alison, and Bryan: Showbiz Origins, Contrast in Families, and Media Culture (2013)

[77:15–166:22]

A. Adam Interviews Jimmy: From Radio Rejection to TV Stardom

• Adam sets out to do a “serious” interview about Jimmy’s career rise.
• Jimmy describes early failures: fired repeatedly from radio jobs, valeting cars in Phoenix, sending out hundreds of tapes.
• “Guilty until proven innocent” atmosphere in radio; bosses claimed to want “edgy,” but actually feared it.
• Recurring career theme: being let go for “causing trouble,” but always working hard and showing up.

B. Meeting and Early Collaboration

• Adam and Jimmy recount how they met, their fateful early showbiz partnership, and how Adam got on KROQ via Jimmy, initially with a shop teacher character.
• “You just have to pick your moments… you just have to kind of be good at the right time.” [99:18]

C. Changing Technology, Burned-Out Pleasure Centers

• Discussion about how Google and instant gratification have “fried” their kids’ pleasure/reward centers.
• Nostalgia for when things required more effort (e.g., driving to the store to find a funny cookie name like “pecan sandies” for a comedy bit).

D. Friendship, Jealousy, and Professional Success

• Adam and Jimmy reflect on their lack of envy toward each other, despite divergent career paths.
• Adam admits, “There are times when I stop and think I should just be jealous… but I just feel happy.” [110:44]

E. Adam’s Semi-Literacy and “Carolla Syndrome”

• Adam candidly explains he didn’t learn to read until adulthood; Jimmy speculates maybe Adam has his own learning disorder.
• Adam: “When you get tested for dyslexia, it’s like getting an AIDS test and hoping you’re HIV positive.” [116:47]

F. Fame, Recognition and Humiliation

• Adam tells senior frog’s story in Mexico: women swarm him for MTV, but one says to Jimmy, “My dad watches you on Win Ben Stein’s Money.” [120:13]

G. Families: Kimmel vs. Carolla

• Adam and Jimmy compare their wildly different upbringings—Adam’s detached, Kimmel’s close-knit (bordering on overbearing).
• Jimmy: “My family is more involved with you than most families are with their own children.” [130:16]

H. Early Marriages, Husbands as Hostages

• Jimmy, married young, reflects on how he’s improved as a husband and the perils of marrying too early.
• “I was half husband, half hostage.” [134:29]

I. Aging, Boners, and News

• Riffing on when “falling” becomes news for the elderly, and the inevitability of embarrassing boners before physicals.

J. Manti Te’o Hoax & Media Cycles

• Dissect Manti Te’o’s “catfishing” hoax: stupidity vs. lying, and why the story obsesses America.
• Jimmy: “If I was him, I’d come out whether I was gay or not. That’s what I’d do.” [150:46]

K. Miscellaneous: Lance Armstrong, Hooters, and Baking Shows

• Hot takes on Lance Armstrong’s doping apology, Hooters redesign, excessive “attitude” in cooking competitions.
• “Why does everything have to be so juiced up and in your face?!” [142:44]

L. Christmas Comedy: “Christmas Time in the LBC”

• Replay of musical parody with Jimmy as Snoop Dogg.
• Adam: “Some stuff holds up. This one holds up.” [166:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Adam’s attire:
  • Jimmy: “You dress like people in a third world who wear whatever’s given to them.” [01:12]
• On Hollywood activism:
  • Adam: “They’re never going to develop the film.” [02:46]
• On aging & shoes:
  • Jimmy: “Adult sized baby shoes is what they start wearing.” [06:25]
• On “bad back” excuses:
  • Adam: “The bad back is the greatest thing because it’s invisible.” [36:47]
• On stoner stereotypes:
  • Adam: “I’m mostly focused on Al Qaeda these days. I’m done attacking the people that cause no harm.” [39:18]
• On radio bosses:
  • Jimmy: “They are. Radio is just above mime… It’s just above performing out on the street for nickels at the farmer's market.” [89:29]
• On friendship and success:
  • Adam: “There are times when I stop and think I should just be jealous… but I just feel happy.” [110:44]
• On learning to read late in life:
  • Adam: “When you get tested for dyslexia, it’s like getting an AIDS test and hoping you’re HIV positive.” [116:47]
• On their families:
  • Jimmy: “My family is more involved with you than most families are with their own children.” [130:16]
• On forced-feeding by parents:
  • Jimmy: “My mother, like, it’s a typical Italian thing, but she’s a force feeder and it’s crazy… she forced my fiancée to eat five slices of cake…” [133:31]
• On marital readiness:
  • Adam: “If you’re willing to get out of your car and bang on that guy’s window, you’re not ready for marriage.” [137:25]
• On instant gratification:
  • Adam: “Their pleasure centers are fried… there’s too much, they can’t compute.” [105:50]
• On acting memorization:
  • Adam: “There’s got to be a better way. First off, if you wrote it, it’s a little easier.” [66:55]
• On Manti Te’o:
  • Jimmy: “If I was him, I’d come out whether I was gay or not. That’d be my move.” [150:50]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:54] – Adam welcomes Jimmy Kimmel.
• [01:12] – Jimmy about Adam’s outfit.
• [11:55] – Jimmy on Ellen’s reputation among staff.
• [13:03] – Adam: “No child should have parents better-looking than them.”
• [18:54] – Adam’s “is it fair” fitness rant.
• [22:46] – The “coffee can fart prank” story.
• [36:47] – The “bad back is invisible” life hack.
• [62:41] – Jimmy on cue cards vs. teleprompters.
• [75:46] – Adam: “If seven years on the air, you’re doing good.”
• [77:15] – Shift to 2013 segment with Alison and Bryan.
• [81:06] – Jimmy’s teen Letterman obsession and early ambition.
• [90:51] – Jimmy moves back in with parents after being fired.
• [99:18] – Adam on nailing early radio auditions.
• [109:50] – Adam reflects on his lack of jealousy.
• [116:47] – Adam’s reading diagnosis story.
• [120:13] – The “win Ben Stein’s Money” recognition in Mexico.
• [130:16] – Jimmy: “My family is more involved with you...”
• [133:31] – Jimmy’s mother the “force feeder.”
• [137:25] – Adam’s “if you’re still fiery, you’re not ready for marriage.”
• [150:50] – Jimmy’s advice on Manti Te’o hoax.
• [166:19] – “Christmas Time in the LBC” holds up.
• [171:19] – Wrap-up and show close.

Episode Flow, Tone, and Takeaways

The episode is a sprawling, rapid-fire cross-section of what makes Adam and Jimmy such a beloved comedic duo: self-effacing honesty, a willingness to go deep but not take themselves seriously, and a genuine affection that undercuts all the roasting.

Their anecdotes serve both as biting showbiz commentary and as personal mythology—evidence that talent, resilience, and loyalty matter just as much (if not more) than industry validation. The show is studded with bits of real advice: “claim a bad back,” “be ready for your moment,” and “fry your pleasure centers at your peril.” It’s affectionate, profane, and reflective—classic Carolla and Kimmel, opening the vault and inviting listeners into their world.

For first-time or returning listeners, this episode is a snapshot of the Adam Carolla Show at its best: unpredictable, deeply personal, and reliably hilarious.