Dick Van Dyke Jokes About His Age on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Before His 99th Birthday

Veteran actor Dick Van Dyke is about to celebrate his 99th birthday and is doing so with a guest appearance on television.

The star of "Mary Poppins" will reach the impressive age on Friday, December 13. He appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, December 5. During the show, he was joined by Chris Martin, who discussed Coldplay’s new music video, "All My Love." In this video, Van Dyke performs alongside his son, Barry, who is 73 years old.

In a light-hearted moment, Martin, 47, shared a sweet interaction he observed between Van Dyke and Barry. He recalled a time when Barry asked his father, "Dad, can I turn the pool slide on?" Martin noted it was touching because collectively, the father and son were "176 years old."

Van Dyke then remarked humorously about his age in relation to his children. The actor has other children as well: Christian, 74; Stacy, 68; and Carrie, 62, all from his late ex-wife, Margie Willett. He noted, "I’m old enough to be Joe Biden’s father."

Earlier this year, Van Dyke remarked, in jest, that he hoped to reach his 99th birthday. "I'm pretty old," he stated to a photographer in September, according to Page Six. When asked if he planned to celebrate his birthday, he humorously replied, "Just praying that I make it."

In September, concerns arose after he canceled several appearances, including a convention in Utah. The hosting company FanX announced, "Dick Van Dyke is not able to travel to FanX. At almost 99 years old, interacting with thousands of people is more than he is able to do at this time."

Van Dyke also withdrew from the 2024 Emmy Awards on September 15 despite being set to present there. However, he attended the 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 7, where his CBS special, Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic, won for Outstanding Variety Special.

While joking that he was "still looking for work," he expressed his hope for his legacy to be "laughter." He explained, "For making people laugh for 75 years. I can't believe I'm still here and performing!"

He demonstrated his humor during a speech at the Daytime Emmy Awards in June when he achieved the notable title of being the oldest winner. "Thank you. I don’t believe this. I feel like a spy from nighttime television," he said in his acceptance speech. "If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself."

Before the speech, in an interview with ET, he voiced his disbelief at winning. "Am I really the oldest? I didn’t know," he confessed. "I’ll be darn. I think I’m the last of my generation. I’m 98. I have almost all my marbles. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast."

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