Jimmy Kimmel Compares Peyton and Eli Manning to the Menendez Brothers, Elicits Groans from the Audience
After the Mannings opened the show with a musical number, Kimmel joked about their talents during his Disney Upfront appearance
After the Mannings opened the show with a musical number, Kimmel joked about their talents during his Disney Upfront appearance Mindy Small/Getty; Arturo Holmes/Getty (L-R) Jimmy Kimmel, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning
Jimmy Kimmel made his feelings known about Peyton and Eli Manning’s musical talents — or lack thereof!
While delivering a monologue-turned-roast at Disney's 2025 Upfront on May 13, the late night host joked about the former pro-athletes’ musical opening number.
The Mannings — who were promoting the upcoming series Chad Powers, starring Glen Powell and inspired by Eli’s character of the same name for his ESPN docuseries Eli’s Places — started the show by singing an elaborate song where they used word play to insert their last name into a few of Disney's hit ABC shows, highlighting High Potential, Abbott Elementary and Paradise during the routine.
The actors who star on those shows mentioned, including Kaitlin Olson, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Sterling K. Brown, joined the two onstage to play along and jokingly shut down any possibilities of the NFL greats joining their series.
To wrap up the event, Kimmel, 57, took to the stage with a round of roasts, which included rival networks like CBS and NBC, as well as commentary on the Mannings' opening number: "I do want to thank the Manning brothers for finally answering the question, 'What if two jars of mayonnaise could sing?' The answer is, they can't," Kimmel said. Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Peyton Manning (left) and Eli Manning at the 2025 Disney Upfronts
"That was worse than what the Menendez brothers did," he added, as audience members groaned. "Too soon or too late?"
The comedian ended his monologue with another jab towards Peyton and Eli, joking that the brothers would be singing another song if advertisers didn't give them more money.
"Do give us money before we send them out again," he said, referring to the Mannings.
Kimmel's joke came on the same day that Lyle and Erik were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, which makes them immediately eligible for parole. The brothers were serving a life sentence without parole for the 1989 murders of their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez in their $5 million Beverly Hills home, but have long claimed the murders were committed in self-defense after years of sexual abuse by Jose.
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The late night host's roasts weren't just reserved for the Mannings. He made a jab at NBC over the network's new portfolio of NBCU cable channels called Versant, saying it "sounds like something you subscribed to by accident." He even commented on his own network's lack of new shows. He pointed out that the only new show for ABC is a spinoff of another. "Which begs the question: What are we doing here? We risked our lives flying into Newark for this?" he teased.
He closed his remarks with a heartfelt plea to advertisers to support a news show from the rival network, CBS. "I know it’s not part of our multi-platform, but support 60 Minutes — they deserve it. You have the power, because you have the money. Support journalism. It’s important, and it doesn’t work without you."