Fascinating Facts About Jimmy Kimmel's Wife, Molly McNearney
They've been married since 2013.
getty Jimmy Kimmel has been a staple name in our homes since 2003, when he became the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC. And now, Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 20, which will be the first major awards show of the season and will obviously look a little different than previous shows. This isn’t the first time Jimmy’s waded into the award show hosting pool; he previously hosted the Emmys in 2012 and 2016, and the Academy Awards twice. And although we know him as a hilarious host, he’s also been very public about his personal life, including the relationship with his wife.
Who is Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney?
Molly McNearney is Jimmy Kimmel's second wife.
Kimmel married Gina Maddy, his college sweetheart, in 1988 and the couple divorced in 2002. They had two children together, Katie and Kevin. The two met while attending Arizona State University.
When did Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney get married?
The couple got married on July 13, 2013 in Ojai, California. Some of the guests that attended the wedding include A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Matt Damon, and Jennifer Garner.
How did Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney meet?
She was a co-head writer for his show — and that’s how the two met! She began writing for Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2008, and has also written for the Oscars and the Emmy Awards.
Who are Jimmy Kimmel's kids?
McNearney gave birth to their first child, Jane, in July 2014. Their second child, William, who they call Billy, was born in April 2017. Billy was born with a rare congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot.
In an emotional monologue on his show, Kimmel opened up about the birth of his son and the scary ordeal he and his wife had to go through regarding Billy’s health. Luckily, he is okay, though he will need a few more surgeries over his lifetime.
Kimmel didn’t make a good first impression with McNearney.
In an interview, McNearney recounted the first time meeting Kimmel:
“When I first met him, he insulted me! 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.’ That was the first and only thing he probably said to me the entire first year of working there.”
When asked if she thought she would eventually marry Kimmel, she said, “Jimmy gets a little insulted when I say this but I never once thought of him that way or looked at him that way. I really didn't. I had worked for him for so long, and I was in a relationship and he was in a relationship, so it never occurred to me. And that's workplace 101. You don't date your boss.”
Good thing that didn’t last long.
How did Jimmy Kimmel finally win his wife over?
He finally won her over by cooking for her. “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,” she said.
“At one of the writers' meetings ... he asked us what our five favorite foods were. I listed mine, which were pizza, gnocchi pasta, a BLT, crab claws, and a cheeseburger. Shortly after, he had invited me to his house, and I was very nervous. I mean, this is my boss. I was thinking, I gotta be careful here. He opens the door, and the whole house smelled delicious. I walked in, and there was a pizza, a BLT, crab claws, cheeseburger, and gnocchi. He had made them all from scratch. I couldn't believe it, and I realized how incredibly thoughtful and generous he really was.”
She's friends with his ex, Sarah Silverman.
Kimmel and Silverman dated from 2002 to 2009, but still remain friends. McNearney seems like a great and understanding person, because she was seen at an event posing for photos with Silverman.
When asked about the do’s and don’ts of getting along with your partner’s ex, she commented, “You have to have complete respect for the relationship that your boyfriend or husband has been in. Your boyfriend or husband's previous relationships have made him who he is, so I am extremely thankful to Sarah because I think she did a lot of good for Jimmy. I don't think that when a romantic relationship ends, a friendship should have to end."
"I think it's impossible to expect people to completely shut someone out of their life," she added. "She's always so kind to me, she's so warm, and I just admire her on so many levels, personally and professionally. I think it's a great example that you don't have to cut your exes out of our life.”
She’s very close with Kimmel's older children, too.
Being a stepmother isn’t an easy task, but it seems like McNearney gets along very well with Katie and Kevin, who are both in their 20s.
“I text his daughter daily, and she's one of my favorite people,” she said. “His son is such a sweetheart, and I am just so lucky for them.”
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.