Jimmy Kimmel is known for pulling elaborate on-air pranks—just ask his Aunt Chippy—but his latest bit of mischief unfolded behind the scenes. Appearing with Ted Danson on his Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, Kimmel revealed how he and Jimmy Kimmel Live! co-head writer Josh Halloway executed a slow-burn prank on their colleague and fellow head writer, Danny Ricker.
“Danny’s kind of a snappy dresser,” Kimmel explained. “Josh got promoted and Danny said, ‘Maybe you want to start dressing a little nicer.’ Josh was offended by this. But Danny stuck with it—told him to look more like an adult than a college kid.”
Those comments planted the seed for an epic prank. As Kimmel explained to Danson, he secretly duplicated Ricker’s wardrobe. “I spent the next couple of months studying Danny’s clothing and purchasing every item of clothing that he owns,” Kimmel said. “We come back from summer break, and every morning we get a tip on what Danny’s wearing to work. Josh wears the identical outfit.”
By day three, Ricker was unraveling. “Danny has lost his mind,” Kimmel said, laughing. “He knows he’s been pranked, but not how. He’s become very paranoid, accusing various people in his life of being in on it. He cannot understand what’s going on.”
The secret surveillance came courtesy of Ricker’s Ring camera. “We’re looking at his ring cam,” Kimmel admitted. “As he exits his home, there’s a scramble to get it all assembled. We were storing it all in my dressing room at the office. So he [Josh] comes into work and changes into whatever Danny’s wearing that day.”
Kimmel went on to describe Ricker’s reaction at finding Holloway wearing his exact same outfit day after day. “Danny looks at Josh, who sits next to me on stage, and goes, ‘What the f— is going on here?’” Kimmel recalled. “It’s real psychological warfare. It’s kind of a win-win because Josh gets new outfits, and Danny learns not to trust people.”
Kimmel chuckled as he wrapped up the story: “Yeah, we have fun.”
