Molly McNearney Cuts Family Ties Over Support for Trump
By Zoe Papadakis | Monday, 10 November 2025 10:58 AM EST
Jimmy Kimmel’s wife and longtime collaborator, Molly McNearney, revealed she severed connections with several family members after discovering they voted for then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
McNearney, the head writer and executive producer of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” discussed the fallout during an appearance on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast. She described feeling personally betrayed by relatives who supported President Trump, stating she sent numerous pre-election emails urging them not to vote for him. “I either got ignored by 90% of them or got truly insane responses from a few,” she said.
The decision to cut ties stemmed from her belief that their votes directly opposed her and her husband, who has been a vocal critic of Trump. “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,” she explained.
McNearney admitted to feeling “angry all the time” toward certain relatives who helped elect Trump but expressed lingering sympathy, calling them “deliberately misinformed.” She noted her closest relationships now align with family members sharing her political views.
The podcast appearance followed a period of turmoil for Kimmel after his ABC late-night show was temporarily removed from airwaves amid comments about the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s remarks drew backlash, leading to the suspension of his program by Disney, which called his statements “ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed in September 2025. Tyler Robinson, 22, faces charges in connection with the attack. Kimmel returned to air less than a week after the suspension.
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment.
