How Lou Wilson became Jimmy Kimmel Live! new announcer less than two years after joining the show as a writer

Vulture

The American Vandal alum joined Kimmel's writing staff during the pandemic in July 2020. Last September, Wilson was asked to audition. And earlier this month, he made his debut replacing longtime announcer Dicky Barrett, lead singer of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who retired to Arizona. "I don’t know how many people I beat out," Wilson tells Vulture. "I hope it was hundreds. It does feel very of this place and of this show to see talent in someone in one position and ask them to try another. I do think there’s a lot of that in my becoming the announcer — them knowing that I’ve done a lot of on-camera work, that I have a career, that I do improv. That’s a big part of my performance background and my comedy background. And the voice ain’t half bad either. Let’s invest in this and give this young man a shot!"