Jimmy Kimmel shows appreciation for his "hero" Fred Willard by making him a regular on his talk show

Los Angeles Times

A month after Willard's wife Mary died last year, Kimmel called with an offer that the legendary comedic actor said "came out of nowhere" to appear in a bit mocking President Trump's space force. “I didn’t see it as helping him out as much as it was just that he’s one of the funniest people in the world,” says Kimmel. “And wouldn’t it be nice to bring him here so he’s surrounded by a lot of supportive people?” Since then, the 79-year-old Willard has appeared in about 20 sketches, playing everything from an SAT test taker from the college cheating scandal to the ghost of Trump's father to Santa Claus. “It’s a good place to put my brain, because you’re out, you’re active,” says Willard. “You do a good job and start thinking, ‘Where should I go eat afterward?’ It fills your day, and that’s a great thing. I do sometimes think, ‘Thank God for Jimmy Kimmel.’ Even if all this had ended after ‘Space Force,’ it’s been fun. There’s a lot of funny people out there, very good actors, who aren’t working, so I’m fortunate I’ve done as many appearances as I have and fortunate to have Jimmy Kimmel as a friend.”