It’s always difficult to reckon with loss. Whether it’s a sudden death or a passing you’ve had time to come to terms with in advance, the end result is the same. A void, or missing piece that endures forever. But still, those we lose live on in our memories, in the stories we tell and the pictures we share. Amid his immense grief, Jimmy Kimmel is doing just that.
Legendary comedian and actor Bob Saget passed away suddenly on January 9 at age 65. For fans, it was the loss of a TV dad (and personality) to a generation of kids. Of course, Saget was also well-known as one of the filthiest and funniest stand-up comics around. But for his friends and TV families, it was losing a tremendous champion. One who, according to Kimmel, never passed up the opportunity to tell them he loved them.
At the top of his January 10, Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, the host spoke to the camera about his friend. He spoke of the many tributes circulating across the internet from friends, co-stars, and fellow comedians. Kimmel noted how many of them shared a similar sentiment. Specifically about Saget’s “sweetness,” a quality present in the human beyond the persona fans knew as Danny Tanner or a beloved stand-up.
Kimmel paid tribute to Saget the person; the friend who loved sending compliments via text, the go-to person to hang with at a party, and the brother determined to find the cure for the disease that took his sister.
It’s a brief, beautiful tribute. One that was clearly very difficult for Kimmel, who is visibly emotional throughout the four-minute video. He breaks down at one point, and after a pause mentions they’d previously shot more than a dozen takes of the tribute. But that’s how grief works. Whether it’s one day or 25 years, remembering someone and their goodness—especially a person gone too soon—brings forth a well of emotion.
Kimmel closed out the tribute with a short clip of Saget on his show. The clip, from 2017, features Saget and John Stamos reflecting on their friendship. They discuss their early days on Full House and envision their Statler and Waldorf-like futures.
We’re grateful that Kimmel gave us a little bit of insight into Bob Saget as a friend. Our hearts go out to his friends and family as they grieve.