Bill Maher thinks his friendship with Jimmy Kimmel may be over for good.
During Monday’s episode of his “Club Random” podcast, while speaking with Adam Carolla, Maher shared that he and Kimmel have had a falling out stemming from remarks he made about Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney.
“Jimmy Kimmel — you know, he’s very mad at me, and I know you’re close to him,” Maher told Carolla, who co-hosted Comedy Central’s “The Man Show” with Kimmel from 1999 to 2004.
Bill Maher Reveals Jimmy Kimmel Is ‘Very Mad’ at Him
“I hope you tell him that I’m sorry it got bent out of shape,” Maher, 70, added. “I don’t think I did anything wrong. We can have disagreements. You and I don’t agree on everything — look at this clash right now — and we’re still cool.”
The “Real Time” host went on to describe Kimmel, a staunch liberal, as “one of the nicest guys” he knows, but admitted he often finds Kimmel’s political views frustrating.
“This is the difference between the right and the left. It bugs me so much,” Maher said. “My tribe is supposed to be the left, but these are the people who can’t talk to you unless you’re exactly in line with them. Meanwhile, Republicans always come on my show.”
Maher criticized Kimmel for what he sees as an inflexible approach to politics.
“I don’t just buy into the left-wing bulls–t,” Maher said. “And I never stop making fun of the right-wing bulls–t at all. If that’s not good enough for you, then I think you’re the a–hole — and I don’t think Jimmy is an a–hole.”
He added that the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host “is a great guy,” but said it bothers him that “because of whatever the latest thing was, we may never talk again.”
“You guys should be thick as thieves and on the same page,” Carolla, 61, responded
Maher said he fears he and Kimmel “will never talk” again.
The tension appears to stem from comments Maher made in November about Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, after she revealed she had cut ties with relatives who voted for Donald Trump.
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have where my husband is out there fighting this man,” McNearney, 47, said during an appearance alongside Kimmel on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast.
“To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family,” she continued. “And I, unfortunately, have kind of lost relationships with people in my family because of it.”
“To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family,” she said at the time.
Responding to McNearney’s remarks on his HBO talk show, Maher criticized the approach she described.
“She says she’s lost relationships with relatives because she wrote them an email before the election with 10 reasons why they shouldn’t vote for Trump, and some still didn’t obey — so, you know, ultimatums,” Maher said. “Ten reasons? I can think of 100.”
“But I would never present it to someone as an ultimatum,” he added. “Ultimatums don’t make people rethink their politics. They make them rethink you.”
The following month, Maher said on his “Club Random” podcast that Kimmel was unhappy with him for publicly criticizing his wife.
“I hope we’re friends forever, but I don’t know,” Maher said.
“I was as kid-gloved as I could,” he continued. “And I see they’re mad at me. I’m sorry. I was being as respectful as I could, but I don’t agree with that point of view. Since she went public with it, it wasn’t out of school for me to go public with it. I love Jimmy. I always have. I don’t know him that well, but he’s a great guy. I hope we’re friends forever, but I don’t know.”
Kimmel has long been outspoken in his criticism of Trump, 79, and Republicans on his late-night show.
In September, Kimmel was briefly suspended by Disney over remarks he made about Charlie Kirk. He returned to the air several days later.
