Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, revealed she sent “many” emails to Trump-supporting relatives, pleading with them not to vote for him in last year’s election — and has since cut ties with those family members.
McNearney, who serves as head writer and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, opened up on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast about feeling deeply hurt by relatives who supported the former president. She said their votes felt like personal betrayals — and, in her view, a rejection of her husband and their family.
“I’ve sent many emails to my family right before the election, saying, ‘I’m begging you — here are 10 reasons not to vote for this guy. Please don’t,’” McNearney said. “I either got ignored by 90% of them or got truly insane responses from a few.”
Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, appeared on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast Thursday, where McNearney opened up about the strain former President Donald Trump’s elections have caused within her family.
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationships I now have, where my husband is out there fighting this man,” McNearney said. “To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband, for me, and for our family. Unfortunately, I’ve lost relationships with people in my family because of it.”
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! head writer admitted she was “angry all the time” with certain aunts, uncles, and cousins who supported Trump, but said she still feels “sympathy” for them, describing them as “deliberately misinformed.”
McNearney added that she has grown closer to relatives who share her political views.
McNearney admitted she sent numerous emails to family members, pleading with them not to vote for President Trump.
The couple’s podcast appearance came roughly two months after Kimmel’s late-night show was temporarily pulled from the air following his September 15 monologue, in which he suggested that Tyler Robinson — the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk — was likely connected to the “MAGA gang.”
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said during the controversial segment.
The podcast appearance comes nearly two months after Kimmel’s late-night show was briefly pulled from the air.
Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group — the two largest owners of ABC affiliates in the U.S. — announced they were dropping Kimmel’s program in response to his controversial comments, and successfully urged Disney to suspend the Los Angeles host for what they called “ill-timed and thus insensitive” remarks.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, a tragedy that intensified concerns about political violence across the country.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was off the air for less than a week following the comedian’s controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was later charged with aggravated murder and related offenses.
Kimmel returned to the airwaves less than a week after his suspension, resuming his hosting duties on the ABC late-night show.
