Jimmy Kimmel's Wife Says She Tried to Stop Him from Reading Donald Trump's Comments at 2024 Oscars: 'I Was Totally Off'

"I will tell you, I’m never going to win an argument in my household again!" Molly McNearney, who co-executive produced the awards telecast, joked

Jimmy Kimmel defied his wife Molly McNearney to deliver one of the funniest moments at the 2024 Oscars on Sunday night!

Kimmel, 56, explained in an interview with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that aired on Monday that toward the end of the night, producers told him he had some time to kill and someone showed him a post that former President Donald Trump made on Truth Social about his hosting skills.

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In the post, Trump, 77, called Kimmel's opening monologue "less than average" and said he was "trying too hard." He also called the show "boring."

Kimmel told Ripa, 53, and Consuelos, 52, that someone tried to stop him, but didn't tell them it was his wife.

The Boss Baby actor went on stage, read the lengthy post, and closed his speech with a question that caused the room to erupt with laughter. "I'm surprised you're still [up] — isn’t it past your jail time?" he asked.

In an interview with Variety McNearney, who co-executive produced the awards telecast, revealed that she was the skeptical party.

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

McNearney, 46, explained that she wasn't in favor of giving Trump any airtime if she didn't have to. She admitted that she also thought the joke was a "risk."

"I just wanted to make sure it ended well, and I didn’t want it to end on a sour note," McNearney explained.

Kimmel assured his wife everything would be fine. "He had a glimmer in his eye, and he said, ‘I got this.’ He really did. This is where he shines," she said.

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The joke was a hit and McNearney knew Kimmel was going to read the post, but that doesn't mean the issue is settled in the Kimmel-McNearney household.

“I will tell you, I’m never going to win an argument in my household again!” McNearney joked.

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