RuPaul Bids Farewell To ‘Kimmel’ After A Week Of Guest Hosting: “We’re All Sad Jimmy’s Coming Back”

RuPaul ended his week guest hosting Live with a final shot at Jimmy Kimmel and his fellow guest-hosts.

The Drag Race star announced Thursday (Aug. 23) that it would be his final night guest hosting the late night show amid Kimmel’s continued summer hiatus, to which the audience loudly groaned.

“I know I know, we’re all sad that Jimmy’s coming back,” he said. He added that Guillermo, Kimmel’s sidekick, was feeling particularly “devastated” by the news.

“Guillermo be honest… Who has been the best guest host?” RuPaul asked. The television personality is the latest star to guest host Kimmel this summer, following stints by Jeff Goldblum, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Short, and several others.

“You, of course,” Guillermo replied.

And it looked like the flattery worked on Ru. “So sweet, Guillermo,” he replied. “I bet you say that to all the seven-foot drag queens.”

Kimmel hasn’t hosted Live since he announced his summer hiatus in June. He’s now slated to return to the show beginning Monday, Sept. 2.

RuPaul has taken several shots at Kimmel since the late night host has been away, and the Live audience is loving it.

“Now, I am the last guest host before Jimmy comes back from vacation,” RuPaul announced to the audience during his first night hosting. “You know, in the drag world, when your jimmy goes on vacation that’s called tucking.”

The Drag Race host has been pushing the envelope all week, with jokes about Grindr, sex toys, and politics, marking a significant change from Kimmel’s usual opening monologues – though Ru certainly kept up Kimmel’s tradition of taking jabs at Donald Trump.

In Thursday’s broadcast, Ru shared that he was going to purchase a “Trumpy Trout” for everyone on the show. “I swear this is a real product being advertised on TV,” he said, before sharing the ad for an animatronic talking fish designed to look like the former U.S. president. It currently retails for $59.95, but it does not appear to be connected to Trump.

“Watch out fleshlight, there’s a new sheriff in town,” RuPaul joked.

Jimmy Kimmel Live airs on weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on ABC.