‘I don’t want to give Trump airtime in the Oscars,' Molly McNearney told her husband Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel mocks Katie Britt's SOTU rebuttal in Oscars speech: 'Adult woman with the brain of a child'
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel targeted Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., during the Oscars, slamming the rising GOP star for her rebuttal to President Biden's State of the Union.
The wife of Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel revealed she was the one who warned him not to read former President Trump's Truth Social post criticizing the awards ceremony on Sunday but now feels like she was in the wrong.
On stage during the last few minutes of the ceremony, Kimmel announced he had received a "review" before reading Trump's social media post which asked, "has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars?"
Kimmel's wife Molly McNearney, an executive producer on his late-night show who also co-executive produced the awards telecast, said she was the one who tried to talk him out of reading Trump's trash-talking post out of fear of giving the former president "airtime" at 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. "I feel like my instincts are usually right, but I was totally off on that."
Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024, in Hollywood, California. ((Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images))
She continued: "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.'"
McNearney also feared bringing up Trump would end the show on a "sour note" after the ceremony had recovered after being delayed by Gaza protesters outside.
In the end, she said her husband was right. "But he had a glimmer in his eye, and he said, ‘I got this.’ He really did. This is where he shines."
Kimmel used the opportunity at the awards ceremony to make his own dig at Trump afterward.
"Well, thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still – isn’t it past your jail time?" he said as the audience applauded and laughed.
Jimmy Kimmel read a critical Trump Truth Social post about the Oscars during the live telecast on Sunday. (Presley Ann/MANDEL NGAN / AFP)
McNearney said her husband's instinct was right.
"I will tell you, I’m never going to win an argument in my household again!" she joked.
Kimmel previously explained he had been told not to read the post on air but didn't reveal who told him not to do so.
"They are like, you got a little bit of time," he told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on "Live with Kelly & Mark" Monday. "I’m like, ‘I’m reading the Trump tweet.' They’re like, ‘No, no, don’t read that.' I’m like, ‘Yes I am.'"
Prior to the show, Kimmel told CNN in an interview that he likely wouldn't spend much time talking politics. But he said, "There might be something that pops up and I put it in at the last minute."
"One of the most fun parts of my job is knowing that he hates being made fun of and making fun of him," Kimmel said during the interview, referring to Trump. "And then, every once in a while, he reminds us that he hates it and he gets mad. So, I love that. I take some pleasure in it."
Fox News' Kendall Tietz and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.
