Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel

[superrific]

After watching a clip today, I've become genuinely curious: how did Guillermo get that job? I don't mean it in a critical sense (i.e. "he's so terrible ! who hired him?") -- he's fine I suppose. The late-night sidekick isn't a particularly demanding role, and I have no specific complaints.

Rather, literally how did it happen that they ended up casting a short, fat, at best average looking Mexican guy who speaks with a strong accent? This is a plum job. Is there any job in entertainment with a higher visibility: effort ratio? One would think the competition for that slot was fierce. Guillermo was the best applicant?

Maybe they were looking for a short, fat, Mexican guy? Or did they hold open auditions and they were blown away when he showed up? Is he actually a smaller Ricardo Montelban who they hide in a fat suit? Was he auditioning for a role in Snow White and they decided he was perfect for what they wanted?

Maybe they were looking for the anti-Ed McMahon, and they heard about a guy who was showing up to peoples' houses with oversized novelty eviction notices and thought, "that's our guy!"? Or the anti-Arsenio, a guy who has evidently put in zero effort over the course of his life to be cool? I get that Kimmel shoots in LA, and there's a sizeable Mexican population there.

It's a mystery to me.

 

[GeeWhy]

He kind of inherited it.

 

[circlesky88]

He was a parking lot security guard on the lot where the show is filmed. He was caught sleeping in the car of the show’s announcer(he was working three jobs and was tired). Jimmy Kimmel thought it was interesting and brought him on the show. He quickly became a regular.

 

[Bobfripp]

After watching a clip today, I've become genuinely curious: how did Guillermo get that job? I don't mean it in a critical sense (i.e. "he's so terrible ! who hired him?") -- he's fine I suppose. The late-night sidekick isn't a particularly demanding role, and I have no specific complaints.

Rather, literally how did it happen that they ended up casting a short, fat, at best average looking Mexican guy who speaks with a strong accent? This is a plum job. Is there any job in entertainment with a higher visibility: effort ratio? One would think the competition for that slot was fierce. Guillermo was the best applicant?

Maybe they were looking for a short, fat, Mexican guy? Or did they hold open auditions and they were blown away when he showed up? Is he actually a smaller Ricardo Montelban who they hide in a fat suit? Was he auditioning for a role in Snow White and they decided he was perfect for what they wanted?

Maybe they were looking for the anti-Ed McMahon, and they heard about a guy who was showing up to peoples' houses with oversized novelty eviction notices and thought, "that's our guy!"? Or the anti-Arsenio, a guy who has evidently put in zero effort over the course of his life to be cool? I get that Kimmel shoots in LA, and there's a sizeable Mexican population there.

It's a mystery to me.

DEI? ... I kid!

 

[GeeWhy]

He was a parking lot security guard on the lot where the show is filmed. He was caught sleeping in the car of the show’s announcer(he was working three jobs and was tired). Jimmy Kimmel thought it was interesting and brought him on the show. He quickly became a regular.

I didn't feel like going into it. I was an occasional watcher back in the day. Was Guillermo the first? I know there was an older black lady (Doris?) who was a security guard and was brought on the show. And I'm pretty sure she and Guillermo worked together some. She passed away. Later they brought in Jimmy's uncle Frank dressed as a security guard with Guillermo. Then uncle Frank died.

I think it was kind of Jimmy's nod to Letterman.