Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, said she’s at odds with her relatives who support President Trump.
The 47-year-old executive producer and co-head writer of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show made the revelation during a recent episode of the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast.
“What is it like to come from a conservative family and become like, the Mockingjay of the other side?” podcast co-host Glennon Doyle asked.
“It’s definitely been challenging,” McNearney replied. She recalled growing up in a “very conservative, Republican” environment and then becoming liberal after moving away from home. The TV producer said she wasn’t happy about Trump being elected in 2016, but said she understood it.
She said the 2024 election was different, though.
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have where my husband is out there fighting this man,” McNearney added.
“And to me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family,” she continued, saying she has “lost relationships with people in my family because of it.”
“This is not just Republican versus Democrat for me anymore,” she added. “It is, to me, it’s family values, and 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.”
“I feel like I’m kind of in constant conflict and I’m angry all the time, which isn’t healthy at all,” the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” exec continued. “But I personalize everything now. 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.”
“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,” McNearney said.
“I’ve definitely pulled in closer with the family that I feel more aligned with. And I hate that this has happened, you know? It feels silly. You know, part of me goes, ‘Don’t let politics get in the way.’ But to me, this isn’t politics. It’s truly values,” she said. “And we just were not aligned anymore.”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was briefly suspended in September after misleading comments he made about the person accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Most nights, Kimmel spends bashing Trump relentlessly for every move he makes, including when he negotiated a historic peace deal in the Middle East.
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