Club Random with Bill Maher

Episode: Jimmy Kimmel | Club Random Classics

Release Date: October 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This nostalgic, wide-ranging episode finds Bill Maher chatting with his longtime friend and fellow late-night icon Jimmy Kimmel. Together, they reminisce about their early careers, late night’s high drama, the evolution of celebrity culture, their personal growth, health skepticism, and the quirks of showbusiness. The conversation is an intimate blend of comic riffs, revealing anecdotes, and philosophical musings, all delivered in a relaxed, unscripted Club Random atmosphere—with plenty of laughs, some debate, and unexpected depth.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Marriage, Fashion, and Domestic Life

• Jimmy’s Wardrobe Secrets: Kimmel admits his wife Molly picks his clothes because he’s “grown tired of asking what to wear,” describing himself as “a guy whose wife has grown tired of me asking her what I should wear... like a child” (02:18).
• How Men Shop: Both men disagree with the stereotype that women enjoy shopping more, claiming to be decisive, “instinctive” shoppers themselves (02:51–03:10).
• Division of Domestic Labor in Marriage: Maher ponders if the appeal of marriage is “there’s somebody who does shit for you that you don’t want to do,” to which Kimmel disagrees, making light of the real reasons for partnership (02:34–02:41).

2. Celebrity Life, Malls, and Mask Culture

• Returning to the Mall Post-COVID: Maher finds visiting a mall after the pandemic “mind blowing,” and is baffled by young people still masking outdoors (03:18–04:16).
• Masks for Privacy: Kimmel says he sometimes wears a mask to walk around incognito, “like Michael Jackson with my face covered” (04:36), prompting more banter about celebrity behaviors.

3. Late Night TV, Copycats, and Disposable Fame

• The Ephemeral Nature of Talk Shows: Maher reflects, “what we do is gone by the next week... it’s sour milk. So disposable.” Kimmel notes coming from radio felt even more ephemeral in comparison (10:03–10:36).
• Origin Stories – The Man Show and Politically Incorrect: Stories emerge of copycat programs (“the X Show,” “Athletically Incorrect”) and lawsuits over titles, underscoring the competitive, sometimes cutthroat, world of unscripted TV (07:34–09:02).
  • “You can’t rip it off when you’re trying to learn it!” — Producer Scott Carter, relayed by Maher (08:26–08:40).

4. Aging, Sophistication, and Growth

• Both hosts admit they “cringe” watching old material, feeling unsophisticated in hindsight.
  • “If you really wanted to torture me, make me watch something from back then.” — Maher (11:52)
  • “You draw something, think it was good... two years later, you go, oh, God. I thought this was good?” — Kimmel (12:46).

5. Health, Food Fads, and Medical Skepticism

• Learning the Hard Way: Kimmel jokes he thought fish and chips daily was healthy as a young adult, and both reflect on past misconceptions shaped by the era’s health advice (e.g., "I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter" and trans fats) (14:06–15:30).
• Medical Misinformation and COVID Skepticism:
  • Maher rails against the ever-changing tide of public health recommendations, saying, “they just don’t know that much... When have we ever been wrong? A lot. You’ve been wrong a fucking lot.” (15:48–17:21)
  • The two spar cordially about vaccines—Kimmel trusting most, Maher remaining skeptical and case-by-case (20:43–21:08).

6. Showbiz Rivalries – Leno vs. Letterman

• Inside the Tonight Show Drama:
  • Maher seeks to defend Leno’s actions, noting the unforgiving nature of Hollywood.
  • Kimmel calls Leno “quite clearly very—a cunning individual,” recounting long-running machinations with networks and time slots (30:09–31:38).
  • Behind the scenes: Leno attempted to move to ABC at 11:30; Kimmel was asked to move his own show as part of negotiations (35:35–36:49).
  • “I think from the beginning, his plan was to retake The Tonight Show, to see the ratings go down.” — Kimmel (35:03).

7. Comedy Inspirations and Recurring Bit Genius

• Recurring TV Segments:
  • Maher praises Kimmel’s “mean tweets” and “unnecessary censorship” bits; Kimmel credits his wife for “mean tweets” and notes the censorship bit began in radio (25:13–25:39).
• Comic Roots: Kimmel’s influences—Letterman and Howard Stern, with affectionate nostalgia for Letterman appearances (26:17–28:05).
• Why Americans Love Middle America Comics: Maher notes that Kimmel’s appeal, “like Carson and Leno and Letterman, there’s something mid-American about you…” (43:01–44:43).

8. Nostalgia and Collecting Memories

• Baseball Cards and Childhood Memories: The two reminisce about collecting baseball cards, milestone sports moments, and the thrill of first walking into a ballpark.
  • “I have a flannel uniform, like a Yankee pinstripe... I wouldn’t take it off all summer.” — Maher (48:27).
  • Discussion on the emotional attachment to cards, sports heroes, and the evolution of sportifying investments (54:25–55:57).
• Miscellaneous Card Collections: Maher cherishes not only baseball cards, but “Beetle cards,” “Batman cards,” “Martian cards,” and more—nostalgic tokens from a different media era (55:43–56:28).

9. Parenthood, Family, and Generational Perspective

• Maher notes the difference between having and not having kids changes how you think about the world’s future, especially regarding climate change (68:20–68:43).
• Kimmel, a father of four, explains that personal investment in the future is “about my children, and their children.” (68:46–71:12).
• They discuss the stages of marriage, with Maher humorously asserting, “It’s good in the beginning and then it’s a difficult period for, like, 50 years... And then you get to a point… it’s the second great period of a marriage.” (80:24–81:42).

10. Aging, Mortality, and Career Reflections

• Both hosts speak candidly about aging, brushes with the idea of mortality, and the strange comfort of their enduring relevance to younger generations (84:06–84:30).
• Kimmel recalls seeing Maher and Seinfeld perform standup in college, noting, “Bill Maher was like the funniest one. No, I did.” (83:28).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Showbiz Copycats:
  • “They can't rip it off when they're trying to learn it.” — (Scott Carter, via Maher, 08:26)
• On Health Advice:
  • "This is why I am so skeptical about COVID and all the way we handle it. Because the bigger question about health is: they just don’t know that much. And they’re wrong a lot." — Maher (16:02)
• On Leno & Rivalries:
  • “He’s quite clearly very—a cunning individual, let’s just say.” — Kimmel (30:09)
• On Personal Growth:
  • “You think you are [sophisticated], and you’re more than you were when you were a teenager, of course, but... You’re just not what they used to call seasoned.” — Maher (13:17)
• On America’s Tastes:
  • “There’s something mid American about you that appeals to the broad... you strike people as American.” — Maher (44:34)
• On the Value of Baseball Cards:
  • “You gotta come over one day. Seriously. I’ll go through my cards. Amazing—like the years, ‘63, ‘64, ‘65, something like that.” — Maher (54:25)
• On Marriage:
  • “I feel like it’s good in the beginning and then it’s a difficult period for like 50 years… And then you get to a point... and that becomes like the second great period of a marriage... it’s just that little middle, 50 years.” — Maher (80:24–81:42)
  • "It's just that 50 years in the middle." — Kimmel (81:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Wardrobe and Marriage Talk: 02:01–04:00
• Late Night Legacies & Copycats: 07:00–10:36
• Health Skepticism: 14:38–17:31
• Vaccine Debates: 20:37–21:57
• Leno vs. Conan/Late-Night Feuds: 28:24–36:49
• Career Regrets & Nostalgia: 11:35–13:50 & 41:06–47:26
• Baseball Card Nostalgia: 54:25–57:58
• Family & Climate Change: 68:05–72:09
• Reflections on Mortality & Legacy: 84:04–85:20

Tone and Language

The exchange is easy-going, candid, personal, and occasionally irreverent—filled with Maher’s acerbic wit and Kimmel’s laid-back, self-deprecating humor. There’s affection and occasional ribbing throughout, especially with Maher prodding Kimmel on his feuds (“Did he touch you, Jimmy? Show me where he touched you.”—35:11) or Kimmel needling Maher about his aversion to marriage.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a treasure trove for fans of late-night TV, comedy, and pop culture nostalgia, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at two masters at their most unguarded. Whether discussing the challenges of growing older, the quirks of their industry, or the meaning of success, Maher and Kimmel display a veteran’s wisdom, the comfort of true friendship, and still, a childlike delight in the clubhouse that is Club Random.