Jason Bateman Bails on Kimmel, Will Arnett Subs In and Mocks Him For It

On Wednesday's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jason Bateman had been scheduled to appear, but apparently had to cancel at the last minute due to a shooting schedule change on Ozark. Bateman's SmartLess podcast co-host Will Arnett filled in at the last minute, and begain their segment by loudly questioning Bateman's excuse.

"They said he was shooting his show, so he couldn't do the show, and you know, I said 'yeah, well, we're shooting OUR show,'" Kimmel said. 

"And he's a good friend of yours," Arnett said. "He already said yes, and then he backed out because Blow-zark's schedule changed or something." Kimmel wanted him to clarify that it was actually called Ozark, and of course, Arnett denied that he said otherwise.

Kimmel also claimed to have "spies" everywhere, and claimed to have gotten a hold of a picture of Bateman in Atlanta, sitting around playing Words With Friends on his phone, which Arnett described as "hilarious, considering that we know he doesn't have that many friends." 

Later, Kimmel lamented that Bateman was still getting his podcast plugged even though he wasn't there, and Arnett understood. "It is a shame, because this is a guy who's unprofessional, a bad friend to both of us, that's a double whammy." 

Arnett then told what he claimed was an "actual true" story that when he hurt his back playing golf, Bateman kindly showed up with packs of IcyHot patches for him. "I gotta give him that credit. He just showed up, and you know Jason, he doesn't do anything for anybody! "

Kimmel showed off a big billboard ad for the podcast that was put up in Arnett's home town of Toronto, and he mocked Bateman's image that was used for it. "It looks like it's a headshot from The Hogan Family or something," he quipped, name-dropping one of Bateman's '80s sitcoms. 

Arnett thought it looked like "he just found out he was alive." 

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:30 PM ET on ABC.

People are talking about JKL in our forums. Join the conversation.

Andy Hunsaker has a head full of sitcom gags and nerd-genre lore, and can be followed @AndyHunsaker if you're into that sort of thing.