eminence

The case could hurt prosecutions in an epic bribery scandal implicating five former presidents and Keiko Fujimori, the eminence grise of Peruvian politics and a perennial presidential candidate who came within a hair of winning the job in 2021.

At night, from its eminence, his star shone down on him with proud approval.

Asked in a 2020 interview if he would ever make new work, he balked and then said exactly what you would want the éminence grise of the avant-garde to say: “We are living in decadent times, surrounded by nothing but trash.”

At first just a gray eminence working behind the scenes while Clarence pounded the pavement, he gradually grew in prominence, reaching a fun spy-movie throwback sweet spot last episode.

That he’s now the current longest-running network host is as funny as any joke Kimmel has ever delivered — we all woke up one day and Kimmel became the gray eminence, the old guard, that guy who hosts the Oscars.