Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman are teaming up to develop a talk show for one of late night’s most memorable guests.
The two hosts have reportedly been in talks with Luenell, the self-described “Original Bad Girl of Comedy,” about developing a show for her.
“She’s interested in doing a talk show,” Kimmel told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this past weekend. “I’m going to try to help her develop that. She’s really like a reincarnation of Redd Foxx.”
“Luenell is a super-funny person,” Kimmel added. “And obviously she impressed David Letterman when she was on [Everybody’s in LA] with John Mulaney.”
Indeed, Luenell came to Letterman’s attention when they guested together on Mulaney’s six-episode series for Netflix last month.
The former Late Show host and the actress/comedian (who you probably remember from her memorable role in Borat) hit it off while seated next to each other on Mulaney’s couch. At one point, the pair could be seen cozying up together under a blanket while Luenell’s lower-third caption described her as “vibing with Dave.”
When Mulaney joked that he was handing his Netflix talk show over to Letterman, Dave immediately asked Luenell, “Are you available next week?”
Letterman later praised Luenell on his YouTube channel. “She and I have gotten close over the last couple of weeks,” he said at the time. “She has a great friendship with Jimmy Kimmel. I talked to Jimmy after I talked with Luenell, and Jimmy had the idea of trying to get a television program [for] Luenell.”
“Not regular TV,” Letterman added, “but like on the streaming platforms. We have great hopes for that.”
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the show “might be a dating advice streaming show or an adult-themed talk show from the club. All sorts of ideas are being tossed around.”
Kimmel and Luenell discussed show concepts via Zoom as recently as Wednesday morning.
As Letterman noted, Kimmel has a more longstanding relationship with Luenell. The comedian, whose full name is Luenell Campbell, currently has a residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas, where she performs every Sunday and Monday night. She has also been a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! twice, first in October 2019 and most recently in October 2023.
