The news came out about a month ago that funny pair Jimmy Kimmel, 40, and Sarah Silverman, 37, had called off their five year relationship. There weren’t a lot of details about what happened, just that the split was “mutual” and that they both were kind of down about it. Silverman made a half-reference to their breakup in a comedy routine earlier this month, saying “Did someone tell you I’m going through a hard time?” She didn’t say anything else about it, though.

Kimmel was rumored to be dating the new blond head writer on his show in the wake of the split, but there was only one story about it and it may not have been correct.

This week’s National Enquirer is reporting that even though Kimmel is the one they claim called it off with Silverman he’s said to be regretting his decision and has been drunk dailing and e-mailing her asking to talk:

Jimmy Kimmel [has been] desperately phoing and e-mailing his longtime lover/best pal to wimp: “Why aren’t you returning my calls?” Said a source: “It’s tragic… everyone in Jimmy’s circle said that when he finally realized how he’d let Sarah slip through his fingers – the girl he found so beautiful, sexy, funny and wonderful to his two kids – he’d go nuts!”

What torpedoed TV’s perfect couple? “Jimmy, who’s crazy competitive, got a little bigheaded about moving out of the late-night ghetto into an earlier slot if Jay Leno joins ABC – and started ignoring Sarah.” No dramatic battling, say insiders – just “couples stuff” they tried to fix in counseling.

“Like, Sarah’s a busy star in her own right, but when she’d come home to Jimmy ready for romance, he’d be hanging with frat-boy pals like Adam Sandler and Adam Carolla.”

When counseling failed, Sarah asked if they should end it – and was shocked when Jimmy just said “Okay.” Now he’s taking it hard, reportedly sauce-ing hard – and phoning his lost love. Said a source: “Jimmy keeps saying he just wants to talk. Sarah’s stopped taking his calls, saying ‘Why’s he doing this? It was his decision to end it.’ Sarah’s known for flipping the switch when she’s ready to move on.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker’s column, August 25, 2008]

It’s too bad that it didn’t work out for these two, but once you step away you can’t just expect to be welcomed back with open arms.

Jimmy Kimmel left his wife of 14 years and the mother of his two children right around the time he hooked up Sarah. It’s possible that it wasn’t a “homewrecking” situation that so often gets brought up in these type of cases and that he was estranged form his wife for some time before they met. (That could also be the case with Balthazar Getty and Sienna Miller, but since it’s Sienna and she so often behaves like a self-entitled bitch, people aren’t really willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.)

These two seemed like a great couple and maybe they broke it off too soon and threw in the towel instead of working through the inevitable problems that come up in relationships. I can’t see them getting back together, though. Silverman seems to have moved on even though we haven’t heard much about her dating someone else. She’s probably happily single and not too worried about Jimmy.

Has an ex ever done this to you and what did you do about it? The last guy who broke up with me before I met my husband called me afterwards and wanted to get back together. I told him to stuff it, but it was gratifying to hear his sorry pleas.

Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman are shown on 3/13/08. Credit: PRJ/Fame Pictures