Who wants to watch as celebrities earn money for charity onWho Wants to be a Millionaire?
If your final answer is “Me!”
you’re in luck.
Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC
JIMMY KIMMEL:I actually know how I feel about something one way or the other immediately.
It doesn’t take a lot of thinking for me to make a decision.
So I was on board for it right away.
I love the original show obviously a lot of people did.
I got to be a contestant on the original show, and I like game shows in general.
I started as a game show host, on a show calledWin Ben Stein’s Money.
I think that a great game show is rare.
The truth is it’s almost like a board game: The classics are usually the classics.
And for me, being able to sit there and read questions and crack jokes is a great opportunity.
The tension lends itself to humor.
Is it nerve-racking for you too, though?
Sitting there under the lights, with the music?
Sometimes they want to talk things through, and sometimes I do know the answer.
I’m not given the answers, but sometimes I know.
There’s also an interactive component this time, right?
So people can play along at home?
Yeah, that’s for real.
That would be the worst, for me to steer somebody the wrong way.
That’s why I would hate for someone to put me down as their Phone a Friend.
Phone a Friend is the most terrifying 30 seconds of television.
Half of the time people don’t even get to their answer.
They start thinking about it and then they’re cut off before they give their answer.
Phone a Friend sometimes isn’t the best lifeline.
I actually didn’t do that.
I figured it would be better not to imitate.
It’s hard enough not to imitate when you have phrases like “Is that your final answer?”
or “Do you want to go 50/50?”
So I decided to go into it somewhat fresh.
Do you feel like you started any catchphrases of your own?
I went a slightly different way: I wore the same suit and tie for every single day.
I don’t know that I can take credit for that.
Did anyone really surprise you with their vast general knowledge, or maybe how cool they stayed under pressure?
Anderson Cooper did not know thatthe Bacheloris a pilot, which really made me envious of him.
He just did not take any of that in.
Things like geography, he has no problem, but what is Peter doing after the show?
He doesn’t know.
Was anyone particularly nervous?
Everyone was nervous except for Jane Fonda.
She just rattled through the questions.
She oftentimes did not even pause to ask her expert for advice.
We also got to see your kids give it a shot on your from-home show the other night.
I’ve been doing this with them at breakfast just for fun.
I make up questions and let them answer.
The money keeps getting higher and higher and higher, and they really love it.
It’s also a great take on homeschooling!
Yeah, they’re learning to be game show contestants.
One day, I hope they areJeopardychampions.
How excited are you to be part of that and host alongside Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert?
Yeah, I think it’s a great idea.
We haven’t exactly figured out what we’re going to do yet.
It’s obviously somewhat challenging being in different locations.
But it should be amazing.
Have you figured out a way to make yourself the head host?
I really went over a lot of options: alphabetical order, that didn’t come out well.
I’m not the oldest.
I think I’ve been on the longest?
But I’m not even entirely sure of that, if you countThe Colbert Report.
So I think any way you slice it, I come out last.
Ah, too bad.
How has it been doing your show from home these past few weeks?
The thing that I miss the most is that work is work and home is home.
That division is nice.
Is there one thing you’re actually kind of enjoying about working from home, though?
Well, the commute is nice.
I mean, it is nice to be able to be here with the kids.
It’s just hard.
And at least it’s a little bit different.
I also think you’re going to end up being really good a video-calling.
Like, you’ll be a pro at not talking over people in these kinds of situations.
I think you’re right.
I’m still amazed when I watch cable news.
I watch Jake Tapper and I now know how much harder it is to interview someone electronically.
That’s not exactly great when you’re trying to be funny.
That really is the hardest part of it, the teleconference.
It’s not being able to sit next to a person and talk over each other sometimes.
Who Wants to Be a Millionairepremieres Wednesday, April 8, at 10 p.m.
