“Real Time” host Bill Maher blasted Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, on Friday for issuing what he described as a political “ultimatum” to her Trump-supporting relatives. McNearney, an executive producer for “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” told a podcast that she sent family members a list of ten reasons they shouldn’t vote for Donald Trump. She admitted she has lost relationships because they didn’t listen.
Maher reacted to that revelation during his show, saying the divide came not from politics but from McNearney’s attempt to force her views on others. “Molly McNerney, Jimmy Kimmel’s wife and head writer, went public on this topic recently, so I feel it’s fair to comment, respectfully, in public,” Maher said. He accused her of cutting ties with relatives who wouldn’t “obey.”
“She says she’s lost relationships with relatives because she wrote them an email before the election with ten reasons why they shouldn’t vote for Trump, and some still didn’t obey, so you know,” Maher remarked, making a slicing motion across his neck. The audience reacted as he leaned into the point.
Maher made clear he believes McNearney approached her family in the wrong way. “Ten reasons? I can think of 100. But I would never present it to someone as an ultimatum,” he said. “Ultimatums don’t make people rethink their politics. They make them rethink you.”
The comedian then criticized the tone many progressives use when talking about politics. He said “my values” has become code for “I’m the only one with a moral compass.” To Maher, that mindset is exactly why people turn away.
Maher suggested McNearney should reflect on why millions of Americans rejected her worldview. “Write a top ten list to yourself where you try to imagine ten reasons why 77 million Americans didn’t want to trust you with taking power,” he said. He emphasized that he votes Democratic but believes the activist left drives people away.
“As I like to remind my very pure friends, we voted for the same person. You’re just why she lost,” Maher said, closing his thoughts. The crowd reacted with a mix of surprise and applause.
“I would never present it to someone as an ultimatum,” Maher repeated. “Ultimatums don’t make people rethink their politics. They make them rethink you.”
McNearney had already made headlines over Trump-related drama when Jimmy Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended in September. She said on the podcast she felt “betrayed” after discovering some family members voted for the current president. That admission only fueled Maher’s critique that the left’s moral superiority complex is destroying relationships — not Trump.