Will Arnett took many a loving jab at his dear friend Jason Bateman when he filled in as a last-minute guest in the “Ozark” star’s place on Wednesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” And host Jimmy Kimmel was more than happy to go along with Arnett’s socially distanced bit mocking Bateman.
“I want to thank you also for filling in for us at the last minute,” Kimmel said to his remote guest, noting that Arnett was taking over for Bateman, his “SmartLess” podcast co-host and former “Arrested Development” co-star.
“I am. I didn’t want to out him. I didn’t want to name him. But now that you mention it, yeah, so Jason, obviously, too busy,” the “BoJack Horseman” star said from what appears to be his at-home recording booth.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what they said, ‘too busy.’ He was shooting his show, so he couldn’t do the show. And I said, ‘Yeah, well we’re shooting our show,’” the ABC late-night host teased.
“And he’s a good friend of yours and he had already said yes and then he backed out because ‘Blowzark’s’ schedule changed or something,” Arnett said.
“Yeah, I think it’s called ‘Ozark,’” Jimmy said, to which Will immediately took (fake) offense and claimed to have already said the correct name of Jason’s Netflix drama. “Dude, geez. No, I’d never say that.”
“Whatever it’s called, that show, I have spies everywhere, you know that,” Kimmel said. “I have people in every region and Jason is down in Atlanta. This is a photo, and I promise you, this was taken today, when he’s supposedly ‘too busy’ to FaceTime into this show,” he said, putting the photo up on screen of Bateman. “There he is playing ‘Words With Friends’ on his phone!”
“Which is hilarious, considering we know that he doesn’t have that many friends,” Arnett teased.
“Hold on, are you eating?” Kimmel said, interrupting Arnett.
“Yeah, you sent over this steak dinner,” he replied.
“I was kind of thinking you would eat it after the show, though,” Kimmel said.
“Nobody tells me when to eat a steak dinner,” Arnett said, very seriously, before going on to mock Bateman some more: “So Jason, here’s this guy. He’s in Atlanta, he’s in his puffer jacket like an actor and he’s sitting in his chair and he’s texting away and playing his little games or whatever. And guys like you and me, we’re here in the trenches, working.”
Watch Arnett’s full interview with Kimmel above.