Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, television writer Molly McNearney, revealed she has lost relationships with some of her Trump-voting family members on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast Thursday.
Following her husband’s spat with President Donald Trump over his show being temporarily suspended in September, McNearney told the podcast hosts she felt betrayed after some of her family members voted for the current president.
Disney briefly suspended ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked widespread backlash. After an about-face from Disney, the liberal comedian returned the following week.
JIMMY KIMMEL SAYS CHRISTIANITY HAS BEEN ‘CO-OPTED AND PERVERTED’ WHILE CRITICIZING TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICY
Jimmy Kimmel and wife Molly McNearney appear on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Screenshot/”We Can Do Hard Things”)
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship 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,” McNearney said.
She continued, saying that, for her, politics are no longer about “Republican versus Democrat,” but about “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. And so it’s — I feel like I’m kind of in constant conflict, and I’m angry all the time, which isn’t healthy at all,” McNearney explained. ”
But I, like, personalize everything now. When I see these terrible stories every day, I’m immediately mad at certain aunts, uncles, cousins who put [Trump] in power.”
TRUMP CALLS ABC’S JIMMY KIMMEL SUPPORT ‘MAJOR ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION’ TO DEMOCRATS
The television writer added that these feelings have been “really hard” for her to deal with and that she wishes she could “deprogram” herself to make it easier. She also revealed that before the 2024 election, she reached out to some of her conservative family members in a last-ditch effort to convince them not to vote for Trump.
Jimmy Kimmel slammed President Donald Trump for his reaction to the Charlie Kirk assassination in September. (Getty Images)
“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,” she recalled. “And I either got ignored by 90% of them or got truly insane responses from a few. It’s definitely caused a strain.”
While McNearney said she’s lost touch with some Trump-supporting relatives, she told the podcast hosts she’s grown closer to family members who share her political views.
JIMMY KIMMEL’S LATE-NIGHT EVOLUTION FROM APOLITICAL FUNNYMAN TO DEM ACTIVIST
“I’ve definitely pulled in closer with the family that I feel more aligned with. And I hate that this has happened. … It feels silly,” she said. “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. And we just were not aligned anymore.”
Earlier in the podcast, McNearney recalled that when she was growing up in St. Louis, she typically voted Republican down ballot until she moved away and “met people from different backgrounds.” She went on to explain how her former views provided her with the insight to feel “a little bit of sympathy” for her conservative family members.
Jimmy Kimmel and wife Molly McNearney attend the 75th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles Jan. 15, 2024. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP)
“There’s like a little bit of sympathy I have for people in my family that I feel are kind of being deliberately misinformed every day, and they’ve kind of … they are deliberately being misinformed every day, and they believe it,” she said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
