Jimmy Kimmel and Mark Rober to Host YouTube Livestream Event for Autism Awareness
Jimmy Kimmel and YouTube creator Mark Rober are partnering to host “Color The Spectrum: A Livestream To Support The Autism Community,” a three-hour long event to raise money for the group Next For Autism.
Rober, the former NASA engineer who has turned into a YouTube sensation via videos that explore mechanics and science, will livestream the event on his YouTube page on Friday, April 30, starting at 8 p.m. ET. Kimmel’s production team will produce along with Michelle and Robert Smigel.
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Special guests will include Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Jack Black, Andy Samberg, Paul Rudd, MrBeast, Zach Galifianakis, Mark Hamill, Sarah Silverman, Terry Crews, Marques Brownlee, Rhett & Link and more.
“We’re bringing together the biggest stars of social media and old people media, together for a great night, great prizes, and most importantly we’re going to raise an actual ton of money to help some special people who could use it,” Kimmel said.
“Color The Spectrum” will feature musical performances, comedy skits and DIY science stunts, and serve to benefit autism programs across the country.
“Autism awareness is such a personal cause for my family and me,” Rober said. “It is inspiring to team up with Jimmy and Robert and create this unprecedented opportunity to bring together traditional entertainment stars with some of the world’s biggest YouTube creators. I don’t think we have ever seen these worlds unite on a scale like this before. The best part is that this is all being done for people in need and who are so deserving.”
Rober was originally inspired to create the event after being inspired by the long-running “Night of Too Many Stars” benefits for autism, which were hosted by Stewart and aired on Comedy Central and HBO. Robert Smigel was behind “Night of Too Many Stars,” which last took place in 2017. Plans for another “Night of Too Many Stars” had to be scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle and Robert Smigel have long worked to raise awareness of the lack of services and schools for people with autism after witnessing it first hand as parents of their son Daniel.
“It’s been a year since we had to cancel our Night of Too Many Stars benefit and many of the programs and schools we support are hurting greatly,” Smigel said. “So we’re beyond grateful to Mark and Jimmy for making this happen for Next for Autism.”
Tiltify is serving as the event’s fundraising platform. Also, as part of the event, viewers will be able to register to bid on various celebrity-related experiences to benefit Next For Autism at omaze.com/nextforautism, starting on April 30.
Per Rober, “Next for Autism helps create programs around the country for individuals on the spectrum so they can live, work and be a part of their communities so they are not left to live lives in isolation. There are a lot of great resources for children on the Autism spectrum through the public school system but once they turn 18 they are often totally left on their own. Next helps with that transition.”
Here’s a preview video for the event:
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