How Did Jimmy Kimmel & Guillermo Rodriguez Meet? All About Their Friendship

Guillermo Rodriguez is winning over Dancing With the Stars fans week after week in Season 35, but Jimmy Kimmel Live! viewers have known and loved him for more than 20 years. Rodriguez is best known as Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick and has been appearing on his talk show since it premiered in 2003.

The two are quite an unlikely duo, but they are the ultimate besties. So, how did this friendship start? We’ve rounded up everything we know about Rodriguez and Kimmel’s relationship.

How did Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo Rodriguez meet?

Kimmel and Rodriguez met in 2003 when the latter was working as a parking lot security guard for Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “A couple of the guys who worked on the show thought he was funny,” Kimmel recalled on Live With Kelly and Mark. “They were like, ‘You gotta meet this security guard.'”

The late-night host revealed that he had just gotten a new car at the time. “I go down to the parking lot to my new car and Guillermo is in it, behind the wheel,” Kimmel laughed. “And he’s now terrified because I’ve come down and we’ve never met before. And I don’t know what’s going on.”

His response was to put Rodriguez in a skit on his show. “He played Michael Jackson‘s chef who had written a cookbook, which we jokingly titled The Way You Make My Meals,” Kimmel added.

Rodriguez reflected on being “so nervous” for that first appearance. “I’ve never been on TV,” he explained. “I did not want to do it. I didn’t want to do it and everything, but they told me, ‘We have tequila for you.'”

Did Jimmy Kimmel name his son after Guillermo Rodriguez?

Yes, Kimmel named his youngest child, William “Billy” Kimmel, after Rodriguez, according to People. Guillermo is the Spanish form of the name William.

Kimmel is also godfather to Rodriguez’s only son, Benji, who was born in 2011.

What does Guillermo Rodriguez do on Jimmy Kimmel Live!?

In addition to appearing in skits, Rodriguez is there for Kimmel to banter with throughout his show. He’s often the butt of Kimmel’s jokes, but always takes the ribbing like a champ. The men are not only colleagues, but IRL friends.

Since 2011, Rodriguez has also handled red carpet interviews for Jimmy Kimmel Live! His interviews are often lighthearted and not meant to be taken too seriously.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, ABC