Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, says the TV host’s long-running clash with Donald Trump has intensified tensions within her own family — especially with relatives who still support the former president.
Speaking on the Nov. 6 episode of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast alongside Kimmel, 57, McNearney, 47 — an executive producer and co-head writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! — explained that her relationships with certain family members have been damaged or even “lost” as the conflict between her husband and Trump became more personal this year.
“What is it like to go from, like, a conservative family and become like, the Mockingjay of the other side?” podcast co-host Glennon Doyle asked, invoking the rebellion symbol from The Hunger Games. McNearney replied, “It’s definitely been challenging.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(712x529:714x531):format(webp)/Jimmy-Kimmels-Wife-Molly-McNearney-110925-2-e3bc251c90f04e8280a08379ed4fe300.jpg)
She described growing up in “a very conservative, Republican” home in St. Louis and said her worldview shifted as she moved, traveled, and met “people from different backgrounds.” When Trump was elected president in 2016, she recalled being upset but also thinking, “I understand it.”
This year, however, McNearney said the divide feels different. Although she has “sympathy” for her family members who she believes “are deliberately being misinformed every day,” she said their support for Trump now hits close to home.
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have where my husband is out there fighting this man,” she said. “And to me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family.” She added that she has “lost relationships” with relatives as a result.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x607:1001x609):format(webp)/Donald-Trump-110925-6-7366303bc4e443eca46bd32445f31585.jpg)
Trump has a long history of attacking Kimmel and other late-night hosts who criticize him. The feud escalated earlier this year when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly removed from ABC’s lineup indefinitely. Trump publicly celebrated the suspension after Kimmel made remarks about the death of political commentator Charlie Kirk.
McNearney said her frustration runs deeper than politics. “This is not just Republican versus Democrat for me anymore,” she explained on the podcast. “It is, to me, it’s family values… 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 admitted that the tension has affected her emotionally. “I feel like I’m kind of in constant conflict and I’m angry all the time, which isn’t healthy at all,” she said. “When I see these terrible stories every day, I’m immediately mad at certain aunts, uncles, cousins who put him in power. And it’s really hard.”
McNearney said she wishes she could “deprogram” herself from the intensity of her reactions, but the anger persists.
“I’ve sent many emails to family, like right before the election saying, ‘I’m begging you. Here’s the 10 reasons not to vote for this guy. Please don’t.’ And I either got ignored by 90% of them or got truly insane responses from a few. It’s definitely caused a strain,” she said.
She added that she has “pulled in closer” to the relatives whose values align more closely with her own. “And I hate that this has happened,” she said. “Part of me goes, ‘Don’t let politics get in the way.’ But to me, this isn’t politics. It’s truly values… And we just were not aligned anymore.”
A spokesperson for Disney’s ABC confirmed on Sept. 17 that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be removed from the schedule indefinitely. Trump quickly responded on Truth Social, celebrating the decision and calling the show “CANCELLED.”
A week later, ABC announced that the show would return — and Trump again attacked Kimmel in another Truth Social post, questioning why the network would “want someone back who does so poorly” and accusing the show of airing “99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
Kimmel and McNearney met while working together on Jimmy Kimmel Live! They married on July 13, 2013, and have two children together: daughter Jane, 11, and son Billy, 8. Kimmel is also father to daughter Katie, 34, and son Kevin, 32, from his first marriage to Gina Maddy.
