Jimmy Kimmelâs wife had a few pointed words for President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Hollywood Reporterâs Women In Entertainment breakfast on Wednesday, Molly McNearney â who also is the executive producer of âJimmy Kimmel Live!â â reflected on the significance of âfreedom of speech,â a principle she admitted she once âtook for granted.â
She recalled the September period when her husbandâs show was pulled off the air over comments about far-right podcaster Charlie Kirkâs alleged killer. McNearney emphasized the fallout that followed.
âI watched a show and co-workers and friends and a man I love be put on âindefinite suspensionâ after our thin-skinned president asked for his removal and his [Federal Communications Commission] chair to publicly threaten the company we work for,â McNearney said. âIt is a fragile time for freedom.â

McNearney went on, âFreedom of speech is the foundation on which this great country was built. A freedom that great Americans like James Madison, Frederick Douglass, Alice Paul and a bunch of other people I Googled late last night fought really hard for us to have and to keep.â
She then broadened her message.
âWe lose our freedoms when we are scared and when we are distracted,â she said. âI have been very consumed by both. Fear is contagious, but the good news is, so is bravery.â

McNearney noted that sheâs watched her husband, his staff and other late night hosts consistently hold those in power to account â and do so without flinching.
âWe must not be afraid to speak up and speak out to protect this country and all the people in it,â she added.
The executive producer also shared that her âhusband and her workplaceâ have been âthreatened by the president of the United States multiple times, and the propaganda machine that feasts on deliberately misinterpretingâ their words.
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We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. Weâre truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again
âIâm one of the lucky ones. We got knocked down, and with all of you, you helped us get back up,â she told the audience.
After a wave of public backlash, Kimmel was back on the air by Sept. 23. His program had been pulled the previous week, on Sept. 17, after the FCC threats.
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