My Night With Jimmy
A VIP adventure to Brooklyn Academy of Music for an unforgettable evening taping Jimmy Kimmel LIVE with celebrity guests and old friends.
My Night With Jimmy
I had the best time eva in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday September 30th, 2026! I am a Media Sales Professional for local ABC TV affiliate WTNH News 8 in New Haven, CT. All that to say it’s not uncommon to receive tickets/vouchers to a fancy restaurant, concert venue, live theater or show to treat our VIP advertising clients. But this gift was HUGE! Jimmy is the man! However he normally tapes his shows from his studios in Los Angeles, California…But every now and then he comes back home to Brooklyn, NY to tape live shows for the week at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). And my colleague Douglas Hall and I were the lucky ones on the sales team to be gifted Jimmy Kimmel LIVE in Brooklyn, NY tickets with round trip transportation (courtesy of Absolute Transportation) from WTNH TV News 8 to BAM – Brooklyn Academy of Music for ourselves and our respective clients.
I invited my VIP advertising client Elaine Sein, the Marketing Director of ACES (Area Cooperative Educational Services) who met me at News 8 at 1030am on Thursday morning in advance of our 11am pick-up. Elaine and I walked around the tv station and then took selfies in the Promotions area before heading out to the parking lot to meet up with my Sales department colleague Douglas Hall and his VIP advertising client Michael Donkor, owner of Celebrity Homemakers & Companions LLC.
Taking selfies in the Promotions area of WTNH News 8
Fun selfie
The SUV car ride to Brooklyn, NY was painless. Having our own driver (in our case Tariq from Absolute Transportation) really made our day that much more pleasant. We could kick back and relax and enjoy conversation with each other while our driver had to deal with the crazy, unhinged drivers on the Connecticut and New York highways and byways. Tariq took it all in stride though. He navigated those roads like he had been doing it for a minute (smile). Great personality too. He made our trip memorable in the best way.
Our first planned stop was lunch at Cafe PAULETTE in Brooklyn, NY (only 7 minutes from the theater). I chose Cafe PAULETTE (from the list of preferred vendors on BAM’s website) because first of all the french food sounded truly delish and secondly it was projected to be 70 degrees on Thursday and I have a thing for outdoor bistros. We ordered our lunch and drinks at about 1pmish and waited outdoors at our table for a long while as there was only one waitress and one bartender on duty. When the food finally arrived it was well worth the wait because it was delish! I ordered a veggie burger with cheddar cheese, french fries and a side salad. And I washed it all down with a ginger ale.
Michael, Doug, Elaine and me at Cafe PAULETTE
My delish veggie burger with tons of french fries and a side salad – muah!
After lunch Tariq drove us to BAM where we got registered for the VIP line – registration included checking our names with staff and receiving the blue JKL bands on our wrist. We were early – it was about 330pm at this point and the doors to the theater were not opening until after 5pm so we made small talk and people watched. Did I mention that Brooklyn is the bomb! I love the vibe – it’s lit and the people all look to be going somewhere important. What a fun town – definitely coming back with my boo. Brooklyn is the ‘new Manhattan’ in my view and I absolutely loved Fort Greene and those beautiful brownstones, what a wonderful and quaint neighborhood.
VIP access bracelet
VIP line
Elaine repping for ACES
The BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) building where Jimmy Kimmel LIVE in Brooklyn is taped is in the Peter Sharp Building and it features the historic 2,109 seat Howard Gilman Opera House, the Lepercq Space and the BAMcafe. The BAMcafe was our next stop. This large, colorful, flamboyant room immediately reminded me of the play Moulin Rouge because everything was Red, Red, and Red (smile). There was plenty of finger food stations, dessert stations and drink stations. There were also 2 service bars. I don’t drink anymore so I had Saratoga water and Bigelow Tea (smile). I was still full from lunch so I did not have any of the appetizers or the desserts. The place was jam packed. We were lucky to find a high table with 4 chairs when we walked in. There was an old school DJ playing classic hits from back in the day. Like us, there were plenty of other VIPs enjoying Jimmy Kimmel’s hospitality including his own parents, his former neighbors, people from Brooklyn, NY and even a dear old friend he knew from Kindergarten (smile).
The BAMcafe is groovy for sure (smile)
The gang’s all here!
Elaine checking out the delish finger foods
Finally showtime!
Since were already upstairs in BAMcafe we did not have to travel far to our seats which were in the Mezzanine section of the theater. Being high up allowed us to view the big screens (one on each side) as well as look down on Jimmy Kimmel and his guests. Taping was from 530pm to 7pm. It felt late but in reality it was dinnertime for most folks (smile).
The interior of the theater (former Opera House) is stunningly beautiful!
Big screen TV and Jimmy Kimmel’s excellent house band
Elaine and I in our seats watching the process unfold
As expected once she show started we could not take pictures but we were delighted by the guests that evening – first of all Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo who made it back to New York from Los Angeles where he has been appearing as a guest dancer on Monday and Tuesday nights on Dancing with the Stars – Guillermo’s a hoot in person (smile). The legendary actor Robert DeNiro, who played a baseball bat carrying crooked head of the FCC. The always phenomenal Billy Crystal, who spoke about his poignant new play which centers on the loss of his and his neighbors homes in the horrific Pacific Palisades fires on January 7, 2025. Acting great and charismatic Mahershala Ali who I remembered from his two Oscar winning performances in Moonlight and Green Book and who was promoting his new movie, a thriller called Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. The musical act was supposed to De La Soul but for some reason or another they canceled and were replaced at the last minute by singer songwriter Audrey Hobert. Between the set changes, the guest interviews, the pictures that Jimmy Kimmel took with the guests and the house band selections, the taping took 90 minutes. After the taping we went back to BAMcafe for more appetizers and drinks and then I texted Tariq to come and pick us up as we were ready to go. Jimmy did not appear in the BAMCafe, I pulled his friend from Kindergarten who told me Jimmy Kimmel had another engagement but that he was a genuine person who really cared about people.
My night with Jimmy was a memorable evening indeed. One that I will hold high in my memory bank.
P,S. If you check on Jimmy Kimmel’s website for the 9-30-2026 show, you will catch me, Elaine, Douglas and Michael on TV (smile).
Sincerely,
TVFL
