Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, television writer Molly McNearney, shared that political differences have strained some of her closest family relationships. Speaking on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast, she explained that the divide deepened after certain relatives voted for President Donald Trump.
McNearney described feeling personally hurt following the dispute between Kimmel and Trump that coincided with ABC briefly suspending “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in September. The show later returned to air the following week after Disney reversed its decision.
She said that her husband’s open criticism of the president has profoundly shaped how she views the political choices of loved ones.
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have, where my husband is out there fighting this man,” she said on the podcast. “To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family. And I unfortunately have kind of lost relationships with people in my family because of it.”
McNearney also emphasized that her concerns extend beyond traditional political party lines.
She explained that she was raised to believe in “Christian ideals of taking care of the sick and taking care of the poor,” and struggles to reconcile those values with the current direction of the Republican Party. She admitted these feelings have left her “angry all the time,” noting how she now finds herself directing frustration toward relatives who helped elect Trump.
The writer said she has even reached out before elections urging family members not to support the president. Some responses were hostile — while most offered none at all.
“It’s definitely caused a strain,” she said.
Although she has distanced herself from some relatives over politics, she noted that she has grown closer to family members whose views align more closely with her own.
McNearney reflected on her upbringing in St. Louis and shared that she once considered herself a Republican voter. Moving away and meeting people with different life experiences broadened her perspective, she said, and now she feels a sense of empathy for relatives who she believes are “being deliberately misinformed every day.”
When Fox News Digital requested comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “Only someone suffering from TDS would be arrogant enough to claim that a vote for lower taxes, security, and a strong economy is a vote against them personally. Millions of hardworking Americans voted for President Trump — no one cares what out-of-touch Jimmy Kimmel and his wife think about it.”
