Molly McNerney, the wife of late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, feels that the U.S. is currently experiencing a “fragile moment for freedom” following the suspension of her husband’s show in September.
During an appearance at the Women in Entertainment 2025 Breakfast hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, McNerney, a writer and producer on Kimmel, expressed concern about the implications for freedom after the show faced backlash for suggesting that Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was affiliated with the MAGA movement, as reported by New York Post.
“I was invited to talk about freedom of speech, and honestly, I used to think, maybe naively, that it was something we could rely on in this country,” McNerney shared with the audience. “But after September 16, 2025, I started to question that.”
She continued, “I thought freedom of speech was just, well, a given—like, you know, periods. Did you realize they can just stop? Well, it turns out, so can our freedoms. It really hit home when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Then, just two months ago, I witnessed someone I care about—a friend and coworker—get ‘suspended indefinitely’ just because the president made a remark and the FCC chairman threatened our network,” she stated.
“These are truly delicate times for our freedoms,” she emphasized.
Later, McNerney confessed that the situation regarding her family’s freedom of speech distressed her to the point she considered stepping back from public life.
Kimmel’s show faced a short-lived suspension after Kirk’s supposed assassin, Tyler Robinson, was implicated in a monologue suggesting he was affiliated with the MAGA group.
Kimmel remarked during his show, “This weekend reached a low point, as the MAGA crowd is trying to deflect blame from this kid who took Charlie Kirk’s life, trying to make him appear as anything but part of their group, opportunistically scoring political points in the process.”
His controversial comments ultimately led to two major networks pulling his show off the air, resulting in ABC’s official suspension of the outspoken comedian.
