In a surprise appearance, Jimmy Kimmel introduced The Hollywood Reporter‘s 22nd annual Women in Entertainment breakfast with jokes aimed at members of the Power 100 list and reverence for this year’s Sherry Lansing Leadership Award recipient, Oprah Winfrey.
“I was thinking about it and, you know who I feel bad for today? The 101st most powerful woman. Sitting at home, slicing her own cantaloupe, watching Kathie Lee and Hoda get drunk,” the late-night host quipped in his opening remarks.
“I’m so happy to be here in this sea of perfect blowouts,” he added.
Kimmel then turned to address Winfrey, who was also THR‘s cover story subject for the magazine’s latest issue.
In the article, the late-night host told THR television editor Lacey Rose about when the personality visited Jimmy Kimmel Live two years ago. “[W]hen she came to do the show, she brought a bunch of tequila, and we all did shots with Oprah,” he remembered. “It really was inspiring the way she treated everybody, me included. She makes me want to be a better woman.”
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Kimmel joked similarly at the Women In Entertainment event, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Dec. 11.
The late-night host also noted the appearance of Jimmy Kimmel Live executive producer Jill Leiderman on THR‘s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list. She was ranked “100th out of 100 women,” Kimmel said, quipping: “Jill, you are the least most powerful woman in this room.”
Kimmel also floated an idea for the 2014 edition of THR‘s Women in Entertainment Power 100.
“By the way, wouldn’t it be better to call this the 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood and just not give any of the spots to men?” he asked. “Something to think about for next year.”
“I want to finish by saying what an honor it is to be here. The spirit of sisterhood I feel in this room is very similar to what I experienced as a young Tri Delt at Wellesley,” he concluded. “It is a pleasure to serve as your welcoming speaker and — if my surgery next month goes well — I hope to return next year as an honoree.”
