The 57-year-old television personality received the award for his role as the host of the quiz show “Who Wants to Be a Millionare”, surpassing notable competitors such as Elizabeth Banks, Steve Harvey, Ken Jennings and Colin Jost.

In his acceptance speech, Kimmel paid tribute to the show’s original host, Regis Philbin, who passed away in July 2020.

In a recent interview with Variety, Kimmel reflected on his journey back to game shows, noting “I started as a gameshow host”.

He recalled his first television job as co-host of “Win Ben Stein’s Money” on Comedy Central, where he and Ben Stein won the Emmy for Best Game Show Host in their debut year.

Kimmel humorously remarked on the surprise of their win, stating “We couldn’t believe we were even nominated”, adding that they were simply thrilled to attend the Emmy Awards. He reminisced about giving his Emmy to Susan Lucci, acknowledging her long wait for recognition in the industry.

“It’s ridiculous that we’re here for the first time and we won the Emmy and Susan Lucci is sitting there and she doesn’t have one”, Kimmel said, describing how he handed her his Emmy award and returned to his seat.