Why Jimmy Kimmel's Wife Says She Was 'Not Proud' Of Donald Trump Oscars Event

Jimmy Kimmelrecently revealed he was told not to read Donald Trump's Truth post during the 2024 Oscars, but what he didn't share was who urged him to keep quiet.

Molly McNearney, who has been married to the late-night talk show host since 2013, co-executive produced the awards telecast and says she was the one who tried to talk her husband out of giving Donald Trump air time.

“Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,” Trump began to write in his Truth Social post shortly before the Oscars ended. “His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be."

The former President went on to say, "Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’ George Slopanopoulos,” he added, referring to ‘Good Morning America”s George Stephanopoulos.

“[Stephanopoulos] would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous,” Trump added before calling out the Academy for having “a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years – Disjointed, boring, and very unfair.”

“Why don’t they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them," Trump continued. "Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

After seeing the Truth social post, the Oscars host insisted on calling the former President out on live television -- which, he did.

“See if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social? Anyone?” Kimmel asked the audience. “Well, thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching. I’m surprised. Isn’t it past your jail time?" Kimmel said as he took a jab at the 45th President of the United States. He’s focused on the important stuff, for sure.”

The late-night talk show host was referring to the legal trouble Trump has been involved in as of late, including the indictment in Washington on felony charges as he allegedly tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

More recently, the 77-year-old former President was ordered by a Manhattan to pay E. Jean Carroll $11 million to fund “a reputational repair campaign” and $7.3 million for the emotional harm caused by his public statements in which he called Carroll a “whack job” who should “pay dearly" after she accused Trump of sexual assault.

When appearing on Monday's episode of ‘Live With Kelly & Mark,' Kimmel revealed that he had an extra minute to fill near the end of the awards show, and he wanted to read Trump's Truth post -- but he was advised not to. 

“They’re like, ‘You’ve got a little bit of time’ and I was like, ‘I’m reading the Trump tweet,’ and they’re like, ‘No, no, don’t read that,’ ” he told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. “[I was like] ‘Yes I am'."

And, as we all know, he did.

Molly McNearney, 46, admitted that she was "not proud" of trying to talk her husband out of reading Donald Trump's social post live during the Oscars.

“I will tell you, I’m really not proud of this, but I tried to talk Jimmy out of reading that,” she told Variety in a new interview. “I feel like my instincts are usually right, but I was totally off on that."

She explained:

“I said, ‘Please don’t read this.’ And he asked why. I said, ’I don’t want to give Trump airtime in the Oscars. This is the one time we don’t have to talk about him. We talk about him every night ... This night is not about him and it’s not about politics. My second thought was just the risk, like the show was going well! I just wanted to make sure it ended well, and I didn’t want it to end on a sour note.”

But she said her husband “had a glimmer in his eye, and he said, ‘I got this.’ He really did. This is where he shines,” McNearney told the outlet. “I will tell you, I’m never going to win an argument in my household again.”