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Originally appeared on E! Online<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> is giving his perseverance a five-star rating. <\/span><\/p>\n Nearly a month after his eponymous<\/span> late night show was renewed<\/span><\/a> for another year, the “<\/span>Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/span><\/a>” host shared the biggest takeaway from his professional career in 2025. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI learned a lot of lessons,\u201d Kimmel exclusively told E News\u2019 <\/span>Daryn Carp in an interview at the <\/span>2026 Critic Choice Awards<\/span><\/a> on Jan. 4. \u201cI guess, \u2018Stick to your guns.\u2019 That\u2019s the biggest lesson I learned last year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And when Carp noted that he\u2019d developed both metaphorical and literal muscles, the comedian joked, \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t say that, but I do have guns.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, Kimmel<\/span><\/span> \u2014 who won Best Talk Show at the ceremony \u2014 went through an unprecedented period last fall. Before the 58-year-old\u2019s latest contract extension, his show was <\/span>suspended \u201cindefinitely\u201d<\/span><\/a> in September following backlash to comments he\u2019d made during his monologue about <\/span>Charlie Kirk\u2019s murder that month. The series was brought back to air less than a week later<\/span>.<\/p>\n READ:<\/strong> Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Silence on Show Suspension<\/a><\/p>\n The “Boss Baby” alum \u2014 who shares kids <\/span>Katie, 34, and <\/span>Kevin, 32, with ex-wife <\/span>Gina Maddy, as well as <\/span>Jane, 11, and <\/span>Billy, 8, with wife <\/span>Molly McNeary \u2014 hit another tough roadblock two months later, when his childhood best friend and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” band leader <\/span>Cleto Escobedo III died at the age of 59<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n He honored the musician in a heartfelt tribute, explaining that they\u2019ve \u201cbeen inseparable since I was 9 years old.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEarly this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,\u201d Kimmel<\/span> wrote in the <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a> post at the time. \u201cTo say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe 2026 Critics Choice Awards brought the heat. From Chelsea Handler\u2019s opening monologue to Jimmy Kimmel’s poignant acceptance speech and Timothee Chalamet’s sweet shoutout to Kylie Jenner \u2014 Access Hollywood is breaking down the top moments of the night.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n And as he and his loved ones embrace the new year, they\u2019re already being mindful of how they\u2019re going to accomplish their goals. <\/span><\/p>\n Recounting how McNeary had asked him and their kids about their intentions for 2026, Kimmel<\/span> explained to E! at the Critic Choice Awards, \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh God, I hope they don\u2019t even get to me. I hope this is such a mess with the kids,\u2019 because they don\u2019t have intentions.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Because, truthfully, he continued, \u201cI don\u2019t have any intentions this year. I just kinda keep going, that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n (E! and USA Network are both part of Versant Media.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n PHOTOS:<\/strong> Elle Fanning Arrives at Critics Choice 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n