Jimmy Kimmel's wife 'angry all the time' after losing ties with family members who voted for Trump

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Television writer Molly McNearney, wife of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, said on the 'We Can Do Hard Things' podcast that her relationships with some family members have suffered because of their support for President Donald Trump.

On the Thursday, November 6 episode, McNearney expressed a deep sense of betrayal and pain, saying that a vote for the president was a personal attack on her husband and her family because Kimmel had been vocal in opposition to Trump.

Molly McNearney shares how political disagreement took a personal toll

Molly McNearney explained the depth of her emotional response, saying, "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."

In ways, the politics has stopped being about "Republican versus Democrat" and has become more about "family values."

The writer expressed her sadness that she no longer sees reflections of the Christian values she was raised with, such as "taking care of the sick and taking care of the poor," in the current Republican Party. Hence, McNearney feels like she is "kind of in constant conflict, and I'm angry all the time," but is aware that it "isn't healthy at all."

She admitted that she has "started to personalize everything," pointing out, "When I see these terrible stories every day, I'm immediately mad at certain aunts, uncles, cousins who put Trump in power."

This perpetual conflict and feeling of anger have been "really hard" to manage and have led her to say she sometimes wishes she could "deprogram" herself.

Molly McNearney's failed attempts to persuade family members

The television writer said she actively tried to discourage her conservative relatives from voting for Donald Trump, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 election.

She "sent many emails to family" right before the election, saying, “I'm begging you. Here's the 10 reasons not to vote for this guy. Please don't.”

She remembered being "ignored by 90% of them or got truly insane responses from a few," which has "definitely caused a strain."

Though she has lost touch with some Trump-supporting relatives, McNearney said the political strife brought her closer to family members who share her views.

She shared, "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. 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.”

Molly McNearney on her St Louis upbringing

Molly McNearney also shared that her St Louis upbringing usually meant voting Republican down ballot until she moved away and "met people from different backgrounds," which changed her perspective. 

This past gives her a degree of sympathy for her family members, she said, whom she believes are being deliberately manipulated.

She explained, “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.”