Jeff Goldblum guest-hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, during which he helped actors sign up for SAG-AFTRA health insurance and cast some actors who have to go the extra mile to meet the minimum income requirements to be covered.
“The majority of actors are working-class people struggling to make a living,” Goldblum told the audience on Thursday. “They have to make a certain amount of money each year to get Screen Actors Guild health insurance, and it’s not easy. Some actors are so close to that income threshold that they only need to land one more role to qualify. So tonight I’m going to help a few actors who are in exactly that situation by having them on my show.”
Goldblum then asked a group of actors who were about $500 short of the amount they could have afforded for health insurance to play themselves, each wearing a Goldblum-esque suit and doing their best impersonation of the comedian.
To be eligible for health insurance in 2024, SAG-AFTRA performers typically must earn at least $27,000 in insurable income or work at least 104 days in a 12-month period. In 2023 (before the union struck), about 25,000 of the union’s roughly 160,000 members met that requirement. On Thursday’s show, the actors told Goldblum they plan to use their insurance for things like a skin exam by a dermatologist and a root canal.
Thursday marked the second time Jimmy Kimmel Live! has cast an actor based on their insurance needs. The first time was two years ago, when Kerry Washington guest-hosted the show.
