Jimmy Kimmel is fulfilling a long-held dream: He’ll finally spend his summer vacation with Magic Johnson.
For years, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host has been inserting himself into Johnson’s annual yacht vacation—literally. When Johnson posts vacation photos to social media, Kimmel Photoshops himself and his wife, Molly McNearney, into them. But that won’t happen next summer, as Johnson has invited Kimmel and McNearney to join him on his yacht. To top it off, another regular guest of Johnson’s vacations will be joining them: Samuel L. Jackson.
Johnson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday night, and Kimmel was told ahead of the segment that the basketball star had a surprise for him. “I’m inviting you and your wife to go on a yacht next summer with us,” Johnson revealed as he presented Kimmel with a supersized invitation.
“No way!” a genuinely stunned Kimmel responded. “I’m almost near tears.”
Johnson will bring Kimmel on a 10-day trip across the Mediterranean Sea. In past years, the athlete’s celeb-filled trips have involved a chartered superyacht estimated to cost more than $1.2 million per week.
Last summer, Johnson acknowledged Kimmel’s fake vacation photos by reposting them on his Instagram.
Kimmel shared some of his past photo-doctoring work on social media ahead of Johnson’s appearance last night. “It’s BFF night,” he wrote. “My summer yachtmate @MagicJohnson is here!”
While Kimmel meant “yachtmate” sarcastically at the time, he can finally use that term for real next summer.
This morning, Johnson posted his own video of the surprise moment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the commercial break that followed.
“Cookie and I thought it was time that Jimmy & his wife Molly join us on the yacht next summer,” he wrote. “And this time, no photoshopped photos will be needed!”
