Rodney Muñoz, a costume designer known for his work on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has died. He was 60.
“Our dear friend and Costume Designer for almost 30 years, Rodney Muñoz, has sadly passed away,” Kimmel, 58, wrote via Instagram on Friday, October 8, alongside several photos of Muñoz and his work, including one of Kimmel wearing a Snow White costume and another showing him dressed as Mr. Potato Head.
“Rodney was one of the most talented people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing,” Kimmel continued. “He was a funny, surly, hard-working man whose tough exterior hid a huge and generous heart. Rodney helped many of us through difficult times.”
After calling Muñoz a “devoted son, brother and uncle, a great baker and a caring friend,” Kimmel joked that “no man saw me in my underpants more.”
“We will miss Rodney as he joins his beloved parents in whatever comes next,” the late-night talk show host concluded.
The cause and manner of Muñoz’s death have not yet been revealed.
Muñoz worked as a costume designer for ABC Studios for nearly 24 years. He also previously spent 22 years at CBS, designing costumes for David Letterman on The Late Show. He worked in the costume and wardrobe department on Fear Factor and styled Kimmel for the Oscars in 2018.
Muñoz’s death marks the second recent loss of a Jimmy Kimmel Live! family member after band leader Cleto Escobedo III died at age 59 in November 2025. He died of cardiogenic shock, a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, following complications from a liver transplant at UCLA Medical Center.
Escobedo was the leader of Kimmel’s house band since Jimmy Kimmel Live! premiered in January 2003. His father, Cleto Escobedo Sr., is also part of the group.
“Early this morning, we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III,” Kimmel announced via Instagram at the time. “To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”
Kimmel later paid a tearful tribute to Escobedo on his talk show.
“It’s just not fair,” he said in his monologue. “He was the nicest, most humble, kind and always funny person.”
