Jimmy Kimmel gave his viewers a tearful farewell for the week on Monday as he revealed that he was taking some time off for paternity leave following his newborn son’s heart surgery.
But lucky for us, Kristen Bell was his late-night stand-in host for Thursday night — and she turned out to be just like Jimmy, just blonder and prettier.
“I’m your guest host for the evening,” the “Frozen” voice actress said during her opening monologue. “I’m filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, who is at home right now burping a tiny person.”
The star of “Veronica Mars” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” went on to admit that she’s never actually hosted a talk show before, but “I think I’ll be OK — I mean, I can read words off a teleprompter and I legitimately hate Matt Damon.”
Yep, that quickly won the audience over.
“Hosting a late-night show is super exciting for me. I have two kids so I haven’t been up this late since 2012,” said Bell, about her children with actor Dax Shepard. “And there’s very little chance I will know any of the guests tonight, unless one of them wrote ‘Goodnight, Moon’ or is Moana.
“There’s one thing I’ve been hearing a lot since I agreed to do this: ‘Kristen, are you sure you’re ready to host a late-night show? You’re completely unqualified.’ And to them I said, ‘Zip it, Dax. Zip it.’”
Bell continued: “I’m putting all my training to use tonight. You know, I went to NYU for acting — but I dropped out because I got cast in a Broadway show,” she continued. “So, let that be a lesson to the kids out there — stay in school … until something better and far more lucrative comes along.”
Bell closed out her debut monologue by channeling Kimmel perfectly: “I know this is probably different for all of you, since you’re used to watching Jimmy at this time. Let’s be honest, you bought a ticket to ‘Rogue One,’ and now you’re watching Matt Damon’s China Wall ponytail movie. I get it, and I’m sorry.
“But tonight, think of me as your babysitter. So I guess … whatever. Fend for yourselves while I make out with my boyfriend on your parent’s bed.”
That “boyfriend” turned out to be guests Charlie Hunnam and Adam Scott.
Watch video above of Bell helping a local high school student make a surprise “Frozen”-themed promposal to his classmate.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” airs weeknights on ABC at 11:35 p.m.