Cleto Escobedo III was an American musician best known as the longtime bandleader of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He led the house band Cleto and the Cletones, which has been the show's musical backbone since its debut in 2003, and he appeared on the program from its inception until his death in 2025. Escobedo was also a saxophonist who toured and performed with various artists in his career, including Paula Abdul and Marc Anthony, before joining Kimmel’s show. He grew up in Las Vegas in a musical family; his father, Cleto Escobedo Jr., was a professional musician, and the two worked together on late-night television as a father–son bandleader duo. Escobedo co-wrote the show's theme song with Jimmy Kimmel and Les Pierce, contributed to the broader late-night music scene, and remained a prominent figure in American television music until his passing in November 2025.