Jimmy Kimmel to take break from his show after bandleader Cleto Escobedo III's death
- - Jimmy Kimmel to take break from his show after bandleader Cleto Escobedo III's death
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY November 12, 2025 at 10:28 PM
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Jimmy Kimmel is taking some time away from his late-night show to grieve.
The comedian broke down in tears on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" announcing the death of Cleto Escobedo III, his longtime bandleader and childhood best friend. At the end of the emotional monologue Tuesday, Kimmel shared that he would be taking a break from the show.
"Thank you for indulging me," he said during the Nov. 11 show. "We're going to take the next couple of nights off, but I wanted to be here tonight to tell you about my friend."
death of his bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. Escobedo, 59, was more than a musician and coworker – he was also Kimmel's best friend from childhood. See Escobedo through the years, beginning here at the annual Power of Love gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Feb. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>On Nov. 11, Jimmy Kimmel spoke from the heart about the death of his bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. Escobedo, 59, was more than a musician and coworker – he was also Kimmel's best friend from childhood. See Escobedo through the years, beginning here at the annual Power of Love gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Feb. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/oiJZo7JhjFHu4AhKS6cWLQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/861f4fff058722e7a911485a3cd3ec01 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
On Nov. 11, Jimmy Kimmel spoke from the heart about the death of his bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. Escobedo, 59, was more than a musician and coworker – he was also Kimmel's best friend from childhood. See Escobedo through the years, beginning here at the annual Power of Love gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Feb. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas.
">On Nov. 11, Jimmy Kimmel spoke from the heart about the death of his bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. Escobedo, 59, was more than a musician and coworker – he was also Kimmel's best friend from childhood. See Escobedo through the years, beginning here at the annual Power of Love gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Feb. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/oiJZo7JhjFHu4AhKS6cWLQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/861f4fff058722e7a911485a3cd3ec01 class=caas-img>From left, Jim Gentleman, Jimmy Kimmel and Cleto Escobedo III watch during Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DpMumHO3vGt5.eW3RJR5yQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/4d18705082e1cc6e03376035fd0b1d05 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
From left, Jim Gentleman, Jimmy Kimmel and Cleto Escobedo III watch during Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.
">From left, Jim Gentleman, Jimmy Kimmel and Cleto Escobedo III watch during Game 1 of the 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DpMumHO3vGt5.eW3RJR5yQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/4d18705082e1cc6e03376035fd0b1d05 class=caas-img>From left, Cleto Escobedo lll, host Jimmy Kimmel and musician Brad Paisley perform at the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and Entertainment Weekly party on March 16, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NEc8PqSOeKqx9wkTHs2lFw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/25c14aa5d01a6e0b7c95fe9da287bfc3 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
From left, Cleto Escobedo lll, host Jimmy Kimmel and musician Brad Paisley perform at the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and Entertainment Weekly party on March 16, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
">From left, Cleto Escobedo lll, host Jimmy Kimmel and musician Brad Paisley perform at the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and Entertainment Weekly party on March 16, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NEc8PqSOeKqx9wkTHs2lFw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xODYz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/25c14aa5d01a6e0b7c95fe9da287bfc3 class=caas-img>Cleto Escobedo III, host Jimmy Kimmel, Brad Paisley and Guillermo Rodriguez perform onstage at the Jimmy Kimmel Live and Entertainment Weekly party on March 16, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1j_e517AFKxAC55jk7Y2ug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/885f9269f2f34cfdc15332811b752f33 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
Cleto Escobedo III, host Jimmy Kimmel, Brad Paisley and Guillermo Rodriguez perform onstage at the Jimmy Kimmel Live and Entertainment Weekly party on March 16, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
">Cleto Escobedo III, host Jimmy Kimmel, Brad Paisley and Guillermo Rodriguez perform onstage at the Jimmy Kimmel Live and Entertainment Weekly party on March 16, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1j_e517AFKxAC55jk7Y2ug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/885f9269f2f34cfdc15332811b752f33 class=caas-img>Cleto Escobedo and Guillermo Rodriguez speak during the 26th annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/V.SgP5Z0bA3R6TLCReD0xw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD05MTI-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/e6db879d78ff2528f545639e7ac5a458 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
Cleto Escobedo and Guillermo Rodriguez speak during the 26th annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
">Cleto Escobedo and Guillermo Rodriguez speak during the 26th annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/V.SgP5Z0bA3R6TLCReD0xw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD05MTI-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/e6db879d78ff2528f545639e7ac5a458 class=caas-img>Cleto Escobedo lll attends the 26th Annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0ha4qUPu4_JW_j8zanNvqA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0yMTQ2/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/06be3ec24bcf5a4cbc02083688fb3409 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
Cleto Escobedo lll attends the 26th Annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
">Cleto Escobedo lll attends the 26th Annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0ha4qUPu4_JW_j8zanNvqA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0yMTQ2/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/06be3ec24bcf5a4cbc02083688fb3409 class=caas-img>Cleto Escobedo lll and Guillermo Rodriguez attend the 26th Annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/01bPHyS8pUYbsYIprggKHQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xOTY3/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/608f0933d1fd6842c15dd32250eac525 class=caas-img data-headline="Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career" data-caption="
Cleto Escobedo lll and Guillermo Rodriguez attend the 26th Annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
">Cleto Escobedo lll and Guillermo Rodriguez attend the 26th Annual Imagen Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/01bPHyS8pUYbsYIprggKHQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xOTY3/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/608f0933d1fd6842c15dd32250eac525 class=caas-img>
1 / 7Cleto Escobedo III, Jimmy Kimmel's friend and bandleader, dies at 59. Revisit his career
On Nov. 11, Jimmy Kimmel spoke from the heart about the death of his bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III. Escobedo, 59, was more than a musician and coworker – he was also Kimmel's best friend from childhood. See Escobedo through the years, beginning here at the annual Power of Love gala at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Feb. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas.
Kimmel also noted that Escobedo "loved Eddie Murphy," who was his guest on the show that evening. "I don't think he would have wanted us to miss this," he said. While sitting down with Murphy, Kimmel told the "Beverly Hills Cop" star it's "really good to have you here, especially tonight."
Cleto Escobedo III, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' bandleader of 22 years, dies at 59
The "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host initially shared news of Escobedo's death in a Nov. 11 Instagram post. He wrote that the two of them were "inseparable since I was nine years old," and the "fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true."
Jimmy Kimmel attends the 28th Annual UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation's "Taste For A Cure" event on May 2, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California.
Kimmel then delivered a more than 20-minute monologue on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" emotionally paying tribute to his longtime friend. He described this as the hardest monologue he has ever had to deliver.
Jimmy Kimmel breaks down as he remembers Cleto Escobedo, 'Heartbroken to lose him'
In the eulogy, Kimmel described meeting Escobedo as a kid when they were neighbors in Las Vegas. Escobedo, who played the saxophone, formed the band Cleto and the Cletones. When Kimmel got his own late-night show on ABC in 2003, he hired Escobedo to be his bandleader.
Escobedo's father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., also plays saxophone for the band, and Kimmel noted that Escobedo's mother comes to the show every day. "She does not work here. She does not have a job here," he joked. "She comes and stays all day to be near her husband and son."
Jimmy Kimmel hosts "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"Everyone loves Cleto," Kimmel said. "Everyone here at this show, we are devastated by this. It's just not fair. He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person."
Kimmel went on to say that while "I'm heartbroken to lose him, I'm going to take yet another lesson from him and acknowledge how lucky I was to have him literally at my side for so many years."
"Cherish your friends," he added. "We're not here forever."
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" previously postponed its Nov. 6 show due to a personal matter.
Watch Jimmy Kimmel's full tribute to Cleto Escobedo III
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Wendy Naugle, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleto Escobedo III death: Jimmy Kimmel shares late-night show hiatus
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
