NEWSJimmy Kimmel Says 'Presumptuous' Daughter, 12, 'Cried' When His Show Was Suspended Because She Thought Her Chance of 'Taking Over' Was 'Going Away'
Jimmy Kimmel teased his daughter for 'crying' at the thought of not taking over his talk show — which she's convinced she'll inherit.
Aug. 27 2026, Published 4:10 p.m. ET
Jimmy Kimmel's 12-year-old daughter has asserted her place as first in line to take over her father's late-night desk.
During a conversation with Dax Shepard on his "Armchair Expert" podcast, Kimmel, 58, confirmed that his daughter Jane "very much thinks she'll be taking over" his show.
Jimmy Kimmel's Daughter 'Started Crying' When His Show Was Suspended
Jimmy Kimmel admitted that his 12-year-old daughter was already planning on 'taking over' his late-night show.
"She does yes. It’s going to be 'Jane Kimmel Live!,'" the late-night host said in the interview alongside his wife, Molly McNearney.
The conversation kicked off after Shepard, 51, mentioned when Jane had "started crying" when "her show" meaning – Jimmy Kimmel Live – was "going away" in September 2025.
At the time, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended following comments Kimmel made about the death of Charlie Kirk. At the time, Donald Trump, who's long been a target of Kimmel, applauded the decision, calling it "great news for America."
'Annoying and Presumptuous'
Jimmy Kimmel jokingly said his daughter's actions were 'annoying and presumptuous.'
"Which I found annoying and presumptuous," Kimmel said of his daughter's tears. "For whatever reason, she’s decided, even though she’s one of my four children, that she is taking over the show. It was never a conversation even. It was just like, ‘Yeah, I will, of course, run the family business."
Apart from Jane, Kimmel and McNearney, 48, share a 9-year-old son named William John. The late-night host is also a father to two adult children from his previous marriage to Gina Maddy.
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Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney on Their Kids' 'Wild Childhood'
Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney share two children: daughter Jane and son William.
The couple, who tied the knot in 2013, spoke about the "wild childhood" that their kids were experiencing with their parents in the spotlight.
McNearney highlighted that it was "wild" for her children to know that the "president of the United States doesn't like their father."
"I don't know if they understand that he's not like a movie villain; in a way he is. He's like a cartoon character," Kimmel said of the POTUS, 80.
Molly McNearney on Starting a Romance With Her Then-Boss
Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney tied the knot in 2013.
McNearney and Kimmel famously met on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. She claimed they worked together for eight years before their working relationship turned romantic.
During the interview with the Employee of the Month actor, McNearney revealed the exact moment she knew Kimmel wanted to take their relationship to the next level.
"At the time, I was one of our head writers. At one of our writer meetings, someone asked, 'If you can only have five foods the rest of your life, what are they?'" she explained. "And I just rattled off, I remember I said, 'Pizza, gnocchi, crab claws, [a] BLT and chocolate chip cookies."
It wasn't until six months later that Kimmel invited her over to his home to work on a project, where she walked in and all five foods that she mentioned were on the table waiting for her.
"He opens up the door and it smells delicious. And he's like, 'I've made some things.' And it was pizza, gnocchi, crab claws, BLT and chocolate chip cookies," she gushed. "He had remembered what my favorite foods were and made them all."
