Podcast Summary: "We Can Do Hard Things" — Jimmy Kimmel & Molly McNearney: What Really Happened

Host: Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle (Treat Media)
Guests: Jimmy Kimmel & Molly McNearney
Date: November 6, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This emotionally rich and candid episode offers listeners an inside look into how Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney experienced the abrupt suspension of Jimmy's show amidst national controversy. As friends and neighbors with the Pod Squad, they delve into the personal, professional, and political fallout, sharing honest reflections, dark humor, and hope, demonstrating how community, partnership, and a dose of absurdity help them persevere through uncertainty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Day of the Show Suspension: Chaos and Coping

• Setting the Scene: Jimmy and Molly recount the surreal experience of receiving news of the show's suspension.
  • "[It] felt like OJ during the chase. That's what it felt like." — Jimmy Kimmel [03:39]
  • News helicopters hovered over their house, and they compared the media frenzy to being "dead," with Molly describing the sheer bizarreness and isolation of the moment.
• Parenting in Crisis: They shielded their children from the media storm before sitting them down to explain.
  • Their daughter’s tearful response: "I'll sell my labubus." — Molly McNearney [06:20]
  • Humor and honesty blended as they navigated the tough conversation—eventually admitting to their kids that the President was involved in the suspension.
• Immediate Aftermath: Both speak about the surreal duality—phones buzzing, parenting duties, and feeling "lifted on a wave" of public attention.

2. Emotional Fallout: Support, Solidarity, and Isolation

• Solidarity from Friends and Strangers: While the support was heartwarming, both Jimmy and Molly note the overwhelming and isolating aspects.
  • "There were 1,000 text messages for me, 10,000 for Jimmy." — Molly McNearney [13:20]
  • Strangers’ support, even those who simply drove Jimmy to the airport in the past, shone as a testament to Jimmy’s generosity with people.
• Coping Mechanisms:
  • "And weed, also. A lot of weed." — Jimmy Kimmel & Molly McNearney [10:11]
• Professional Responsibility: The couple felt the stress of uncertainty, especially for their staff’s livelihoods.
  • "For me, I felt like we'd lost the brakes on a 16 wheeler and we're headed downhill..." — Jimmy Kimmel [10:49]

3. Handling Public Backlash & Free Speech

• Desensitization to Criticism:
  • Jimmy: "Unless it's somebody I respect, I don't sweat it." [18:18]
  • Actively avoids Twitter, preferring more supportive communities on Instagram and YouTube.
• Emotional Toll:
  • Molly admits to being more emotional and angry, but finds comfort in partnership ("We had each other and we were going to get through it together" [19:57]), comparing the ordeal to their son’s open heart surgery as a couple-focused crisis.
• On Comedy, Speech, and Authoritarianism:
  • Amanda highlights that consolidators of power historically target comedians first; Jimmy affirms the unique threat comedy poses to those in power:
    • "Nobody likes to be laughed at...it shows you're not taking them seriously." [21:34]
    • Support came from unexpected places—even Ted Cruz, which served as a litmus for governmental overreach in his case.

4. The Temptation of Martyrdom & Return to the Air

• Reflections on Show Suspension:
  • Jimmy confesses, “If I'd not been allowed back on the air...I'd be a martyr. It's not a terrible position to be in as a comedian.” [25:15]
  • Ultimately wanted the show to end on his own terms, not in an abrupt, unjust manner.
• Mourning and Relief:
  • Both describe a period of mourning, fearing they would not properly say farewell or thank staff and viewers.

5. Navigating Divided Families & Personal Values

• Conservative Roots & Family Tension:
  • Molly opens up about coming from a conservative family, the pain of family voting divides, and losing relationships over political values.
    • "To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family." [33:16]
• Disinformation’s Toll:
  • Jimmy points to systemic media misinformation, especially via TV news disguised as "cosplay," as fueling the national divide:
    • "They're telling lies for profit. It used to be AM talk radio, now it looks like the news." [37:00]
• Trying to Find Hope:
  • Molly laments repeated "rock bottoms" for the country, but finds hope in the wide support for their show and in ordinary acts of protest.
  • Jimmy: "When you have Ted Cruz on your side, you know they've screwed up." [24:54]

6. Hope, Protest, and the American Thread

• Moments of Solidarity:
  • Stories of protests, from mass rallies to "a woman by herself in South Carolina," provide sparks of hope [43:25].
  • Jimmy is heartened by spontaneous, local protest as evidence that people still care.
• Enduring American Struggle:
  • Amanda reflects: “This has always been a shit show...it just depends where you were sitting...they're still here doing their part. It's our turn." [54:11]
• Jimmy’s Resolve:
  • Despite narratives of "fleeing the country," Jimmy insists he will stay and fight for the country. "I will never flee the country...that's the very last thing I will do." [52:46]

7. The Comfort of Absurdity, Connection, and Pranks

• Levity Amidst Chaos:
  • Jimmy’s love of elaborate pranks on colleagues and family (e.g., dressing staff identically, changing Molly’s license plate to “WE BE JAMMIN”) offers comic relief and a touchpoint for normalcy [64:10, 66:02].
• Neighborly Awkwardness and Connection:
  • Molly recounts the awkwardness and excitement of meeting Glennon and Abby as new neighbors, leading to endearing miscommunications and ongoing dinner invitations [57:31].
• Cooking, Hosting, and Cookie Mishaps:
  • Stories about hosting the hosts on July 4th, and Glennon’s anxiety about bringing (and hiding) home-baked cookies add warmth and relatability [69:02].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It was like being O.J. in the white Bronco. Except we didn't do it." — Jimmy Kimmel [03:39]
• "We told the kids, your dad and his show are on the right side of history. And my daughter says—'I thought we were on the left.'" — Molly McNearney [09:11]
• "For me, I felt like we'd lost the brakes on a 16 wheeler and we're headed downhill..." — Jimmy Kimmel [10:49]
• "And weed. Also...A lot of weed." — Jimmy Kimmel & Molly McNearney [10:11]
• "We canceled on 'We Can Do Hard Things'—guess we couldn't." — Abby Wambach, Molly McNearney, Jimmy Kimmel [05:06]
• "Nobody likes to be laughed at... It's the hardest thing for people like Donald Trump..." — Jimmy Kimmel [21:34]
• "If I'd not been allowed back on the air, I'd be a martyr. It's not a terrible position to be in as a comedian...But I want to end the show on my terms." — Jimmy Kimmel [25:15]
• "Do you dream of a life, like, of setting off into this? Like, we dream every night of, like, we're going to buy a farm..." — Glennon Doyle [51:28]
• "No, I will never flee the country. That's the very last thing I will do. I'm not interested in giving up." — Jimmy Kimmel [52:46]
• "People like that give us hope, right?" — Molly McNearney [43:49]
• "Every time I go to a fundraiser and...I'd rather be giving it to Children's Hospital right now..." — Molly McNearney [56:02]
• "As much as Jimmy's steadiness is comforting...mad Molly is equally comforting." — Glennon Doyle [56:46]
• "This is why—because this is optional. All of this is optional. And it doesn't have to be like this." — Molly McNearney [55:06]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• The Day the News Broke: [00:03] – [09:39]
• Telling Their Kids: [05:55] – [09:39]
• Support & Isolation: [09:52] – [14:44]
• Handling Stress/Public Backlash: [17:37] – [21:34]
• Comedy as Free Speech/Power & Laughter: [21:34] – [24:58]
• Mourning & Martyrdom Temptation: [25:01] – [27:06]
• Family Political Divides: [32:45] – [39:39]
• Finding Hope in Protest: [41:25] – [43:49]
• Neighbor Awkwardness/Dinner Invitations: [57:23] – [63:03]
• Prank Stories & Comic Relief: [64:10] – [67:42]
• Cookie Mishaps & Community Building: [69:02] – [71:18]
• Reflections on Activism and Personal Anger: [54:11] – [56:46]

Tone & Takeaways

Throughout the episode, the tone oscillates between raw vulnerability, gallows humor, fiery resolve, and deep affection among friends and family. Uniquely blending intimate stories with sharp political and cultural observations, the conversation delivers comfort and solidarity—reminding listeners that resilience is built both by standing up to power and by hugging your people tighter at the end of a nightmare day.

For those facing hard things, Jimmy and Molly’s experience and partnership, paired with the warmth of the Pod Squad, offer hope that we can laugh, rage, and—together—fight for what matters most.

Skip to around [03:39] for the show suspension story, [21:34] for discussions of comedy and power, [32:45] for family political divides, or [64:10] for prank tales and comic relief.