- During an appearance on his radio show, Howard Stern challenged Jimmy Kimmel over his friendship with fellow late-night host Jimmy Fallon , suggesting Kimmel was merely pretending to enjoy Fallon's company after the group holidayed together over the summer.
- Kimmel strongly refuted Stern's accusations, asserting that Fallon is genuinely fun to be around and stating that he would not waste his limited free time maintaining a fake relationship.
- Stern claimed Kimmel was desperately trying to prove to the world that competing television hosts can get along, an assertion Kimmel dismissed as ridiculous while questioning who he would be attempting to convince.
- Fallon and Kimmel have shared a publicly supportive relationship since 2013, with Fallon previously offering on-air support for Kimmel when his show faced suspension threats involving President Donald Trump and the FCC.
- LateNighter reports indicate that Stern himself played a key role in deepening their friendship in 2017 when he arranged a dinner between Kimmel and Fallon after learning they only occasionally communicated via email.
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