Molly McNearney, the spouse of comedian Jimmy Kimmel, has expressed her ‘hurt’ due to ‘losing relationships’ with family members over their right-wing political views.
McNearney, who serves as the head writer and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has shared how politics have placed a considerable strain on her family dynamics. She confessed to cutting ties with certain relatives after they cast their votes for Donald Trump.
The show Jimmy Kimmel Live! faced a temporary suspension following Kimmel’s comments regarding the fatal shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at a college event in Utah last September.
During the segment, Kimmel criticized Trump and his supporters for utilizing Kirk’s death for political gain, stating: “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.”
McNearney opened up about the difficulty she faces in reconciling with family members who supported Trump.
During her appearance on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, McNearney disclosed that she reached out to family members before the 2024 election, imploring them not to vote for Trump.
She elaborated: “I’ve sent many emails to my 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 percent of them or got truly insane response from a few.”
McNearney noted that her family situation has intensified her fight against Trump, particularly since her husband Kimmel is openly opposed to the president. When her own relatives choose to support Trump, it feels like a personal rejection.
She conveyed: “It hurts me so much because of the personal relationships I now have, where my husband is out there fighting this man, and 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.”
Despite feeling ‘angry all the time’ with certain uncles, aunts, and cousins for their support of Trump, McNearney also expressed ‘sympathy’ towards them.
She described them as ‘deliberately misinformed’, while also noting that her relationships have strengthened with other family members who did not vote for Trump.
Kimmel has been vocal in his criticism of the president, and the temporary suspension of his show sparked public outcry, resulting in its restoration within a week.