Positively Las Vegas

Actions

Jimmy Kimmel celebrates grand opening of his Las Vegas comedy club

6.14 jimmy kimmel comedy club 4.JPG
Posted at 7:49 PM, Jun 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-15 12:30:08-04

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Friday night was big for Jimmy Kimmel, as he celebrated the grand opening of his Las Vegas comedy club.

Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club opened on May 2, but Friday marked the official opening with Kimmel in town to host. And for Kimmel, it was a moment he said he'd waited for his entire life.

"Since the day I was born I dreamed of owning a comedy club and a car. And I got a car when I was 17 and this seemed like the next natural step," said Kimmel.

Opening a comedy club in his hometown of Las Vegas seemed like a natural next step in a career that has spanned decades. And the club feels like a walk down memory lane.

"My favorite thing in this club is my Elmer Crank Yankers puppet," Kimmel said, of his collection of mementos inside the club. "That's a voice I do on the show Crank Yankers and it's an imitation of my grandfather who moved here when he was 70 years old. He lived here for like 20 years and he loved Las Vegas so much. So that's probably the one that means the most to me."

But it's clear everything in the club matters to Kimmel.

Jimmy wasn't just very involved from the beginning of this concept that he had for the space, he remains very involved today," said Damian Costa, VP of Entertainment Operations for Caesars Entertainment. "On a weekly basis we actually have a call on who the comics are going to be coming, who our feature acts are going to be, which we actually feature local comics in front of our headliners so that actually gives a good platform for those that are upcoming."

And giving a platform to up and comers was exactly Kimmel's goal in opening the club.

"My greatest hope for this club is that there will be some kid who lives in Las Vegas right now who wants to be a comedian or maybe a talk show host who becomes a regular here at open mic night and who then in 15 years tells me, 'I started out at your club.' Really, that would be very exciting. When I was growing up, there weren't any comedy clubs in Las Vegas. You had to go to LA. It never even occured to me to do something like that and just having it here, I think, sends a message to these, who knows, some brilliant young mind living somewhere in this city and that is what I hope happens."

Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club is open daily with comedians scheduled to perform Thursdays through Sundays.

WATCH JIMMY ON THE RED CARPET:

Kimmel grew up in Las Vegas. He graduated from Clark High School and attended UNLV.

More information about the club and ticket options are available here.