Jimmy Kimmel’s wife has opened up about feeling ‘betrayed’ by family members who supported Donald Trump, revealing how the temporary suspension of her husband’s show strained several personal relationships.
The late-night host faced a brief hiatus in September when his show was pulled after he criticized the ‘MAGA gang’ for allegedly misrepresenting the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The show returned to the air shortly after the controversy.
On Thursday’s episode of the ‘We Can Do Hard Things’ podcast, Kimmel’s wife Molly McNearney confessed she is ‘angry all the time’ at relatives she said played a part in putting Trump back in power.
During a candid discussion, Kimmel’s wife reflected on the tension between her husband and the former president, who has been a vocal critic of the comedian. She shared that these professional clashes have led to feelings of isolation within her own family due to Kimmel’s temporary absence from television.
“It deeply hurts because of the personal connection I have, with my husband actively opposing this man,” she expressed.
She continued, “Regrettably, I’ve lost some familial bonds because of these events.”
The television writer further explained, “I find myself in constant turmoil and perpetually angry, which is far from healthy.”
‘I personalize everything now,’ she added. ‘When I see these terrible stories every day, I’m immediately mad at certain aunts, uncles, cousins, who put him in power.’
‘To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family.’
Molly McNearney, Jimmy Kimmel’s wife (both pictured), was left feeling ‘betrayed’ by relatives who voted for Trump and said the fallout after the late-night show was axed tore apart several relationships
On Thursday’s episode of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast (pictured), McNearney said she is ‘angry all the time’ at relatives she said played a part in putting Trump back in power
McNearney looked back on her St. Louis upbringing, saying she usually voted Republican down the ballot until moving away and encountering people from all walks of life.
‘It’s really hard for me because I grew up believing in these Christian ideals of taking care of the sick and taking care of the poor, and I don’t see that happening with this Republican Party,’ she explained.
But she shared on the episode that her background once allowed her to feel ‘a little bit of sympathy’ for her conservative family members.
‘There’s a little bit of sympathy I have for people in my family that I feel are kind of being deliberately misinformed every day, and they are deliberately being misinformed every day, and they believe it,’ she added.
However, in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, McNearney admitted she tried desperately to communicate with her relatives to sway their decisions.
‘I’ve sent many emails to family saying, “I’m begging you. Here’s the 10 reasons not to vote for this guy. Please don’t,”‘ she recalled.
‘And I either got ignored by 90 percent of them or got truly insane responses from a few,’ she added. ‘It’s definitely caused a strain.’
Yet she confessed that in recent months, understanding her family’s role in the election stirred ‘really hard’ feelings, to the point where she wanted to ‘deprogram’ herself to make it easier.
In the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, McNearney (pictured) admitted she tried desperately to communicate with her relatives to sway their decisions
After ABC confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be returning to air, the president went straight to Truth Social to voice his complaints
Now, she explained, politics for her is no longer ‘Republican versus Democrat’ but about protecting and prioritizing ‘family values.’
Even after losing several relationships, McNearney revealed she has formed new connections and strengthened ties with family members who share her values.
‘I’ve definitely pulled in closer with the family that I feel more aligned with. And I hate that this has happened. It feels silly,’ she said.
‘You know, part of me goes, “Don’t let politics get in the way,” but to me, this isn’t politics,’ she added. ‘It’s truly values. And we just were not aligned anymore.’
Just days after the cancellation of the show was announced, ABC’s parent company, Disney, confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be returning to air.
After ABC made their move, the president went straight to Truth Social to voice his complaints.
‘I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his “talent” was never there,’ Trump wrote.
‘Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution,’ he added.
‘I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.’
His Truth Social rant came after ABC News agreed in December to pay millions to settle a lawsuit in which George Stephanopoulos alleged Trump was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
