Television writer Molly McNearney, wife of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, has revealed that she no longer speaks to some family members over their support for US President Donald Trump.
Speaking on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast on Thursday, McNearney said that before the 2024 presidential election, she tried to persuade some conservative relatives not to vote for Trump.
She explained that when Trump was first elected, she was upset but understood it, having grown up in a conservative Republican household. Her perspective changed after leaving home and meeting people with different views. She said she had some sympathy for family members who were “deliberately misinformed” on a daily basis and believed it.
“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 continued.
She stressed that the issue was not Democratic versus Republican for her, but about “family values.”
🚨 NEW: Jimmy Kimmel’s Wife & Show Producer Molly McNearney Says She is Losing Relationships w/ Her Trump-Voting Family, Wishes She Could ‘Deprogram’ Herself
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 8, 2025
“To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family … This is not just Republican… pic.twitter.com/gLPZUJ979K
Jimmy Kimmel has long been a critic of Donald Trump. After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered in September, Kimmel’s comments on the Turning Point USA co-founder drew widespread backlash, according to Fox News. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended for a week by Disney before returning to the air.
Recently, Kimmel mocked Trump over his reaction to the November 4 election results. “This was not a good night for the President,“ Kimmel said during his opening monologue. “Everything he touched was a loser. Trump hasn’t been this embarrassed since he found out there was a Donald Trump Jr.”
McNearney said that in the lead-up to the 2024 election, she sent emails to family members pleading with them not to vote for Trump. “‘I’m begging you. Here’s the 10 reasons not to vote for this guy. Please don’t,” she said. McNearney added that 90 percent of recipients ignored her, while some responded with “truly insane responses,” straining their relationships.
She admitted that the feelings have been “really hard” to process and said she wishes she could “deprogram” herself to make things easier.
While she has lost touch with some conservative relatives, McNearney said she has grown closer to those she feels are “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.”
This is no longer a question of politics. It is basic morality.