Comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has made a name for himself in the media industry over the years as a master prankster. He uses everything from Halloween candy to history lessons to prank unsuspecting victims of all ages, leaving no one out of the reach of his hilarity.
Now, it seems, that includes his own family members.
Kimmel has worked on his late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with his real-life cousin Sal Iacono for 16 years. And while the pair have worked for years to write up dozens of hilarious sketches that use “Cousin Sal” as the prankster for unwitting real-life victims on streets and in stores, they’ve never taken their comedic talents into their own home for the cameras to capture.
While Iacono’s wife was pregnant, though, they realized that it was the perfect opportunity to catch some hilarious reactions for Kimmel’s Aunt Chippy. So they told her that she was headed for a real-life ultrasound appointment for Iacono’s wife, Micki, but set up a fake ultrasound in a real ultrasound office.
Then, they hid some cameras, compiled a series of video clips for some doctored ultrasound footage, and let the (hidden) cameras roll ...
Kimmel and Cousin Sal sat in a back room, giggling with glee as they watched to see how the entirely innocent Aunt Chippy would react as she sat down for what she assumed was a legit ultrasound appointment with her daughter.
Aunt Chippy was all set to witness the wonders of ultrasound technology for the first time. When the doctor (not a real doctor) came in at last, Chippy had no idea the whole thing was just an act. Equipped with hidden radios, Kimmel and Sal fed fake lines for the doctor to say to spice up the dialogue with humor. But the real show began after the ultrasound gel and scanner were applied and monitor switched on—the magic of CGI took over from there.
Aunt Chippy was truly captivated at first ... although she admitted she had no idea babies could clap their hands in the womb.
Then Kimmel and Cousin Sal burst into the room wearing doctor’s outfits, and the gig was up.
“Son of a b****!” cried Aunt Chippy, playfully smacking Jimmy on the shoulder. “I hate you guys!”
The prank works so well because it doesn’t harm anyone, just some seriously raised blood pressure for poor Aunt Chippy and a few minutes spent sitting in the ultrasound chair for the mom-to-be while she gets a false ultrasound done—and for the level of payout it provided, it seems well worth the effort!
It’s been five years since Kimmel first did the prank, and Chippy has become a more regular victim of his pranks. And although she remains as high-strung as ever, the pair seem to have worked out a satisfying and hilarious truce—as long as the laughs keep coming, she'll keep letting it happen.
