It's been a quarter of a century, but now it can be told - ABC's first choice to host Jimmy Kimmel Live wasn't Jimmy Kimmel. Instead, it was the Daily Show's Jon Stewart, who is good friends with the talk host. 

On a new podcast, Kimmel revealed that the execs. at the alphabet network thought Stewart would be the perfect choice for the slot, once occupied by Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect." So wat happened?

"Kimmel noted that he later asked [ABC CEO Bob] Iger about why he decided to hire him over the more experienced Stewart, who had been hosting The Daily Show since 1999.“ [Iger] goes, ‘Well, you were cheaper.’ And everybody laughed, but I knew he wasn’t kidding,” Kimmel stated.

Jimmy Kimmel Reveals ABC Bosses Wanted Jon Stewart to Host His Late-Night Show