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Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt perform 'I Played the Fool' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM

Michael Stipe attends Apple TV's "Shrinking" special FYC event at Quality Italian on May 02, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images)

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and producer Andrew Watt were the musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday night, where they performed “I Played the Fool,” the theme song to Steve Carell’s HBO series The Rooster.

The pair was joined by some A-list friends for the performance, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith behind the drum kit, and former Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer on piano. Klinghoffer appeared on the original recording of the song, while blink-182's Travis Barker played drums on it.

Stipe and Watt released “I Played the Fool” in March to coincide with The Rooster premiere.

Stipe revealed during an April appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that his long-in-the-works debut solo album is expected out later this year. There’s no word on whether “I Played the Fool” will be on it.

In other R.E.M. news, Peter Buck’s band Drink the Sea, which also features Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin, has announced a new set of U.S. dates that begin Aug. 30 in Vashon Island, Washington, and wrap Sept. 24 in Kirkland, Washington. The tour will be in support of their new album, which is due out Oct. 2.

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