As backlash mounts against late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel over his controversial jokes, the comedian may find himself retreating to a different kind of stage: his serene California home.
Kimmel, 58, has found himself back in controversy after making a “hateful joke” about President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump that prompted them to call for ABC to fire the comedian.
The comedian has a history of sparring with President Trump and the first lady, having previously been temporarily suspended following jokes about the murder of conservative Charlie Kirk.
Although he spews out bits on stage and takes jabs from the White House, away from the political storm, Kimmel’s real-life sanctuary tells a quieter story—one rooted in peace and distance from the spotlight.
Kimmel resides at his Hermosa Beach, CA, property, which he and his wife, Molly McNearney, who is the head writer and executive producer on his show, had custom-built for their family.
The dwelling is actually spread across two parcels of land that were snapped up by Kimmel for $8 million in 2017—providing him with about a half-acre on which to build his dream mansion.
As backlash mounts against late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel over his controversial jokes, the comedian may find himself retreating to a different kind of stage: his serene California home.ABC
Images taken of the property in 2023 revealed that it was nearing completion—offering stunning views out over the ocean.
The home also boasts a large swimming pool and measures across two stories.
When he purchased the property, it had four bedrooms and two bathrooms; however, it seems as though he has since added to that thanks to his custom-built dwelling, which stretches across two homes.
Kimmel previously owned a home in Hollywood Hills but offloaded it in 2014.
Additionally, the late-night host is said to own another property near the storied Chateau Marmont hotel, which he reportedly purchased for $1.1 million in 2010.
However, that same year, Kimmel put the dwelling into a trust, and it was later reported that he had given use of the home to his sister-in-law, Kelly McNearney.
When the comedian steps out of the walls of his private retreat, he finds himself once again facing the criticism of President Trump and Melania, who have taken to social media in recent days to demand ABC “take a stand” and pull the comedian from the air following a joke about Melania being an “expectant widow,” two days before shots were fired at the White House correspondents’ dinner.
During the bit, Kimmel portrayed himself as the emcee of the dinner, teasing, “Of course, our first lady, Melania, is here.”
He then called her “beautiful” before adding, “Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” The comedian also joked about Trump’s age and health.
Kimmel’s quips regarding the Trumps came two days before a gunman broke past a security perimeter and fired shots in the Washington Hilton on April 25 as the president and first lady were inside.
Kimmel, 58, has found himself back in controversy after making a “hateful joke” about President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump that prompted them to call for ABC to fire the comedian. Getty ImagesThe comedian has a history of sparring with President Trump and the first lady, having previously been temporarily suspended following jokes about the murder of conservative Charlie Kirk.Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty ImagesAlthough he spews out bits on stage and takes jabs from the White House, away from the political storm, Kimmel’s real-life sanctuary tells a quieter story—one rooted in peace and distance from the spotlight.Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images
On April 27, Trump took to social media to brand Kimmel’s jokes as “really shocking” and “something far beyond the pale.” He added, “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
Mere hours later, Melania added to the discourse, penning, “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy. His words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
The first lady then branded the comedian a “coward” who “shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” adding that he “hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”
She ended her post with, “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.”
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also discussed Kimmel’s jokes during her briefing, noting, “This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged. It’s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night.”
Kimmel defended his jokes during his show on the evening of April 27.
“You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and the first lady puts out a statement demanding you be fired from your job. We’ve all been there, right?” Kimmel said in the opening monologue of his show.
Kimmel noted that it was “obviously a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together.”
He added, “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80, and she’s younger than I am. It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination, and they know that.”
Kimmel noted that if Trump believes he should be fired, they should also question the comments of Leavitt, who just hours before the dinner told Fox News, “It will be funny. It will be entertaining. There will be some shots fired tonight.”
Kimmel resides at his Hermosa Beach, CA, property, which he and his wife, Molly McNearney, who is the head writer and executive producer on his show, had custom-built for their family.Cristian Lopez/Disney via Getty ImagesThe first lady then branded the comedian a “coward” who “shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate,” adding that he “hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
The comedian conceded that the incident may have been “stressful” for the president and first lady, but he argued that Melania should discuss dialing back the use of derogatory language with her spouse.
“Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I, as are all of us, because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech,” Kimmel said, while insisting that he has been an advocate against gun violence.
He added, “I am sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am. Just ’cause no one got killed doesn’t mean it wasn’t traumatic and scary, and we should come together and be best.”
ABC has yet to comment on the remarks made by Kimmel and the Trumps. Realtor.com® has reached out to ABC and Kimmel for comment.
This isn’t the first time Kimmel has come under fire for his jokes.
In September, Kimmel was “indefinitely” suspended by ABC for making several controversial statements about the murder of Kirk.
At the time, Kimmel made multiple references to conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Kirk—who was fatally shot while attending an event at Utah Valley University—and his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson.
During his Sept. 15 episode, Kimmel told viewers: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.
“In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, he mentioned Kirk again, this time taking aim at the right, saying: “Many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
Following Kimmel’s remarks, Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, fiercely criticized the comedian, while issuing a warning to ABC’s parent company, Disney.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also discussed Kimmel’s jokes during her briefing, noting, “This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady, and his supporters is completely deranged. It’s unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night.”Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty ImagesIn September, Kimmel was “indefinitely” suspended by ABC for making several controversial statements about the murder of Kirk.Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said.
“Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities.
“There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this,” he said.
Minutes after Carr made those comments, Nexstar Media Group Inc. revealed that it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates.
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said.
Shortly after Nexstar shared its decision, ABC, which has FCC-approved licenses for the local broadcast affiliates it owns, issued their own statement about the comedian.
A spokesperson for the Disney-owned network simply said of the decision: “‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will be preempted indefinitely.”
President Trump praised the decision in a post shared on his social media site, Truth Social, where he wrote: “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even [Stephen] Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
However, after six days of suspension, Kimmel returned to the stage. Upon his return, he was overcome with emotion as he took to the stage in front of a live audience in his show’s Los Angeles studio, receiving a lengthy standing ovation as he stepped out in front of the cameras.
The TV host then went on to address his suspension in his opening monologue, choking back tears as he insisted that he had never meant to “make light of the murder of a young man.”
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