All eyes are on Jimmy Kimmel as he returns to our screens on Tuesday night, following a week-long pause on his late-night show. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly taken off the air on September 17 after he commented on the right-wing reaction to the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator and podcaster who was shot at a speaking event in Utah. Jimmy has received a wave of support in light of ABC pulling his show, including from peers like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, and celebrities like Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, and Robert De Niro.
The comedian has likely leaned on his nearest and dearest during this tough time, including his adoring wife, Molly McNearney. The 47-year-old is an executive producer and co-head writer on his show, having worked for Jimmy since 2004 when she was hired as a writer's assistant. The couple married in 2013, and welcomed kids Jane, 11, and Billy, eight.
Molly was seen just days after the show was put on pause walking the family dog with her son. Despite the circumstances, she looked relaxed in a blue hoodie emblazoned with radio shock jock Howard Stern's logo. The following day, Howard spoke out in support of Jimmy and Molly, declaring: "Jimmy is such a big talent, and quite frankly, so is his wife. They're two of the funniest people I have ever met." Join HELLO! as we learn all about Jimmy's talented wife, Molly McNearney.
A true talent
Molly is an accomplished writer and worked behind the scenes of The Oscars in 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024. She has also written for Freeform's Chrissy & Dave Dine Out and has been a key part of Jimmy Kimmel Live! for years, having worked on more than 469 episodes. "I absolutely love my job," she told ScriptMag.
"I love late-night television. I think there's such a magic to waking up as a writer with a blank page – I will say magical and daunting – to wake up with an empty page and write some thoughts down. Things that I would genuinely say and joke about to my friends, and I get paid to do it to write them for television."
© Disney via Getty ImagesShe added that writing provided an outlet for the anger and fear she felt in the current political climate. "I get to put it somewhere and hopefully make a dent in or influence or make someone laugh in some dark times, or maybe even change someone's opinion politically, which I know is impossible," the mother of two shared. She has been outspoken online in favor of gun control and women's reproductive rights, and has criticized Donald Trump on several occasions.
© Getty ImagesMeet-cute
Molly and Jimmy's meet-cute in 2004 wasn't so cute. "When I first met him, he insulted me," she told Glamour. "The executive producer brought me into his office and said, 'This is Molly; she's my new assistant.' Jimmy barely looked up from his desk until my EP said, 'She competes in triathlons,' and then Jimmy looked up at me and said, 'That is really stupid! What a waste of time.'"
© Patrick McMullan via Getty Image"That was the first and only thing he probably said to me the entire first year of working there," she added. The pair were then friends for years, until after Jimmy split from his fellow comedian, Sarah Silverman, in 2009. They began to hang out more often with their fellow writers, and things finally turned romantic in 2010.
© Getty Images"All the writers would socialize after the show, and we would just hang out more and more. We really liked each other as friends, and then it just kind of turned. He cooked for me, and that was it. It sealed the deal," Molly told the publication.
© InstagramWork-life balance
The lovebirds have perfected the art of working together, although Molly was initially worried about revealing their romance to their co-workers. "I was very, very nervous because I love our writers so much, and we work so closely together. I was also the only female writer in the room at the time, and I didn't want to change the dynamic," she explained.
© Getty Images"We love to make fun of Jimmy over here, myself included. When you have camaraderie with your co-workers, one of the parts of that is making fun of the boss a little bit, and now to think, that's the guy I'm dating, I didn't want that to stop." Despite this, Molly and Jimmy learned to separate their home and work lives. "At home, it's a different relationship. At 10 a.m., he's my boss, not my husband; he does say he's my 'husboss,' but I refuse to call him that," she quipped.
© Disney via Getty ImagesStaying in
As for how the couple prefers to spend time together, their activity of choice is simply staying at home and watching the latest series. "Our date nights are like lying in bed watching TV," Jimmy told People. "We don't like to go out." His wife added: "That is a nice night for us. To not do anything is the best kind of date for us. Postmates and Netflix, and it's perfect." Their date nights also consist of attending glamorous award shows together, like the Emmys and the Oscars.
© Getty Images
