As Jimmy Kimmel is in the spotlight for his 'expectant widow' comment for Melania Trump, the popular host's first marriage once dominated the headlines.
Jimmy Kimmel, a name that hardly needs any introduction, is a popular American actor who gained wide recognition as a host on the show, Jimmy Kimmel Live. He began his career in the entertainment world as a radio host before finally getting his calling on the show Jimmy Kimmel Live. The show earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Academy Awards.
Though Jimmy’s professional life is marred by controversies, so is his personal life. He is currently married to Molly McNearny, and the couple has two kids, Jane and Billy. However, McNearny is not Jimmy’s first wife, and there was significant drama surrounding his first marriage to Gina Maddy-Kimmel.
Jimmy Kimmel’s first wife worked as a costume designer on the television movies Party Like the Queen of France and Party Like the Rich and Famous. Jimmy and Gina met in college while studying together at Arizona State University. The duo fell in love and got married at a very young age.
Gina was Jimmy’s first girlfriend, and the duo tied the knot in 1988 after being head over heels in love with one another. Jimmy and Gina became parents for the first time when they welcomed their daughter, Katherine “Katie” Kimmel, in 1991. In 1993, they welcomed their son, Kevin Kimmel.
In 2001, Jimmy Kimmel met Sarah Silverman at the New York Friars Club Roast of Hugh Hefner. The two often met while running in similar comedy circles. Soon, they became friends and started going out for movies and dinners. During that time, Jimmy was already married to Gina. Soon, the news of his affair with Silverman made it to the headlines.
A source told FOX News at that time that Jimmy and Gina’s relationship was "one of the worst kept 'open secrets' in Hollywood" back then and Silverman would reportedly talk about her "boyfriend" when she wasn't supposed to refer to him as her "boyfriend."
According to FOX News, there was an apparent overlap between Jimmy's relationship with Silverman and the end of his marriage to Gina. The rumours of Jimmy and Silverman was going strong when his marriage with Gina was already hitting a rough patch. And his workaholic nature also contributed to their split. After 15 years of marital bliss, Gina filed for divorce in 2002, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. While the divorce proceedings were still on, Jimmy was spotted hanging out with Silverman, making many believe that his relationship with Silverman ended his marriage.
Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman began dating from 2002 to 2009. The two were not just best friends but were also head-over-heels in love with one another. While everyone thought that Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman would end up together, the couple parted their ways in 2008. They gave their relationship another chance and got back together, but finally parted ways in 2009.
Despite the breakup, Jimmy and Sarah maintained a great friendship and never let their breakup strain their love for each other. In an interview with HuffPost, Sarah opened up about her breakup and said:
“I think Jimmy and I had every intention of spending the rest of our lives with each other. We were together for so long and tried our best to make it work. I can think of him now and don't have that edgy feeling anymore. I just love him to pieces."
After his breakup with Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel met Molly McNearney, who worked as a writer on the show, Jimmy Kimmel Live. They struck a friendship while working together. Molly and Jimmy started dating in 2009, and she was initially hesitant, as he was her boss. However, the duo fell in love and got married in 2013. The couple welcomed two kids, Jane and William.
Despite the perks of being one of the popular faces, Jimmy has often drawn attention in the negative limelight. He is currently leading the headlines for his recent spat with the first lady, Melania Trump. It so happened that during the recent episode of his show, Jimmy went on to address Melania Trump as an 'expectant widow' after the recent White House open firing.
Jimmy’s comment didn’t go down well with Melania, and she called out Jimmy for his distasteful comment. Melania made it clear to the host that his monologue about her 'family' wasn’t comedy. Not just this, Melania went on to call Jimmy a coward and also asked the ABC network to take strict action against Jimmy Kimmel for his comment.
Did you know about Jimmy Kimmel’s failed first marriage?
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