10 Times Jimmy Kimmel’s Pranks Went Too Far

Jimmy Kimmel and his team have orchestrated a long list of elaborate pranks that relied on hidden cameras, planted performers, replica sets, and carefully timed reveals. Many of these bits first appeared as ordinary internet clips or on-location segments before being identified later on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, which helped them spread quickly across social platforms and news shows.

This list focuses on what actually happened in each case—how the pranks were staged, who participated, how viewers reacted, and what followed once the show revealed the setup. From viral hoaxes to annual family “challenges,” these entries outline the mechanics behind ten of the most-circulated stunts.

The ‘Worst Twerk Fail EVER’ Fire Video Hoax

In 2013, a YouTube clip showed a woman twerking against a door, falling onto a table, and appearing to catch fire. After days of widespread sharing, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ revealed the scene was staged with a professional stunt performer, a controlled fire gag, and Kimmel stepping in at the end with a fire extinguisher.

The production released the reveal segment showing behind-the-scenes footage, including how the video was uploaded without attribution so it could circulate as an apparent amateur clip. News programs that initially aired the footage later covered the reveal and detailed how the team executed the gag.

The Sochi “Wolf in My Hall” Olympic Hoax

During the 2014 Winter Olympics, a short video posted from an athlete’s account appeared to show a wolf walking down a dormitory hallway. The show later demonstrated that it had built a replica hallway on a Los Angeles stage and used a trained animal under the supervision of a handler.

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ aired the set construction details and the original poster’s involvement, explaining how reference photos informed the hallway rebuild. The reveal segment documented the timeline from the initial post through the moment the show identified the prank on-air.

The Annual ‘I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy’ Challenge

Beginning in 2011, the show invited parents to record themselves telling children that their Halloween candy was gone and to upload the clips under a specified title. Each year, the staff compiled a new montage for broadcast on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ shortly after Halloween.

The production standardized instructions—record on a phone, use the exact video title, and submit by a deadline—so a large volume of entries could be reviewed and edited quickly. The format became a recurring schedule item, with new compilations posted online alongside the broadcast segment.

The ‘I Gave My Kids a Terrible Present’ Christmas Challenge

The December counterpart to the Halloween bit asked parents to present a deliberately underwhelming gift and film the reaction. The show announced the prompt on-air and through its social channels, then edited a compilation for ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ each holiday season.

Over multiple years, the production repeated the call for submissions with the same titling and upload instructions, which made it easy to search, collect, and clear clips. The resulting edits were released on the show’s accounts, generating a consistent annual cycle of new videos.

‘Lie Witness News’ at Coachella With Fake Bands

A field crew interviewed festival attendees about non-existent acts using fabricated names and specific leading questions. The segment relied on quick cuts and on-screen text to display each made-up artist while the interviewees offered reactions.

The production repeated the approach throughout the day to gather enough usable answers for an edited montage. After broadcast on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, the clip was distributed on the show’s YouTube channel and social feeds, where lists of the fake names were included in descriptions and captions.

‘Lie Witness News’: Obamacare vs. the Affordable Care Act

In a street-interview edition, participants were asked whether they preferred “Obamacare” or “the Affordable Care Act,” even though the terms referred to the same law. The setup measured how respondents reacted to the names when presented as separate options.

The crew used consistent wording and collected a range of answers before editing them into a segment for ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. Later versions revisited the prompt to compare responses at different moments in the national conversation about health policy.

‘Lie Witness News’ Takes on New York Fashion Week

During New York Fashion Week, the team asked attendees about fictitious designers and exaggerated trends. Camera operators captured runway B-roll and street style shots to cut between interviews and invented details.

Editors paired the fabricated names with interview audio to create a seamless montage for broadcast. The piece followed the franchise’s standard format—onscreen labels, fast pacing, and a compilation of similarly structured exchanges.

‘Lie Witness News’ at SXSW With Made-Up Artists

At South by Southwest, interviewers ran the same format with spoofed artist names and fictional backstories. The crew gathered material on busy pedestrian routes near venues to maximize the number of passersby who could be approached.

The final segment aired on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ and was uploaded online with a rundown of the nonexistent acts in the description. It later appeared in roundups that grouped multiple festival editions of the recurring bit.

Pranking Aunt Chippy With a Fake Sonogram

A hidden-camera setup brought Aunt Chippy to a clinic appointment for what she believed was a real ultrasound. The show planted a performer as the technician and used custom graphics to display outrageous images on the screen while producers fed lines through an earpiece.

Multiple cameras captured the room, the waiting area, and the reveal. The broadcast segment included the raw reactions, then cut to the studio where the participants explained how the appointment and the graphics had been staged.

Pranking Aunt Chippy With a Driverless Car Pickup

For a birthday surprise, relatives arranged a ride in a vehicle that appeared to be operating without a driver. The production used a decoy approach—an actor interacted with Aunt Chippy outside the car, and the vehicle then moved with no visible driver while hidden audio guided the beats of the ride.

The segment was filmed with interior and exterior cameras and later aired on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. The edit included the setup, the trip itself, and the family reveal, matching the show’s established hidden-camera format for Aunt Chippy pranks.

Share the moment from these setups that stood out most to you in the comments!