Spencer Pratt took aim at Jimmy Kimmel after his wife, Molly McNearney, went viral for sharing the origins of their “bad idea” office romance.
Kimmel and McNearney appeared on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast on Monday, where they revealed how they went from co-workers to husband and wife. Page Six picked up the quotes later in the day, penning an article titled, “Jimmy Kimmel’s wife recalls moment she knew host ‘wanted to f–k’ ahead of ‘bad idea’ romance: ‘He was my boss.’”
Pratt caught wind of the story and shared it with his over 1 million followers on X, adding alongside the repost, “Isn’t this what Harvey Weinstein did?”
This is not the first time Pratt has called out Kimmel on social media, as the reality star hit back at the late night host in June after the latter poked fun at his mayoral campaign on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!“
A representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Weinstein, a disgraced movie mogul following multiple allegations of sexual assault, married his assistant, Eve Chilton, in 1987. The pair, who welcomed three children together, later divorced in 2004. Weinstein remarried in 2007 to fashion designer Georgina Chapman, with whom he shares two children. The couple later separated in 2017, after Weinstein became an infamous figure in Hollywood’s #MeToo movement. He was later convicted of a sexual felony in New York, as well as rape and sexual assault in California.
Kimmel and McNearney’s story was far less salacious, however, with the couple recalling the early days of their relationship.
“Well, we knew each other ’cause we worked together,” McNearney shared on the podcast. “I met him a couple weeks into working at the show. And I went into his office with the executive producer at the time and he’s like, ‘Oh, I want you to meet my new assistant.’ And I don’t think Jimmy even looked up from his desk.”
Per McNearney, the executive producer then told Kimmel about how she did triathlons, which prompted the late night host to comment: “How stupid.”
When asked by Shepard if she thought a “thing” was happening following her first meeting with Kimmel, McNearney declared, “No. Sorry. Not at all. Like, not even a little bit. And by the way, same with him with me.”
While McNearney acknowledged that she was “intimidated” by Kimmel at first, she grew fond of him over the years, especially after seeing the way he treated his staff and family.
“But as I got to work with him for years, I really loved this guy. I was like, he is such a good human,” she went on. “He takes such good care of his staff. He’s good to his family. He’s just a good human being.”
McNearney noted that things didn’t take a romantic turn until eight years into their working relationship, sharing, “He asks me to come over after work. I had just gotten back from Africa, I think. And he was going to help me build a classroom over there.”
“I went over to his house and he opens up the door and it smells delicious,” she said. “And he’s like, ‘I’ve made some things.’ And it was pizza, gnocchi, crab claws, chocolate chip cookies and BLT. He had remembered what my favorite food were and he made them all.”
McNearney confessed she knew right away that Kimmel was interested in her, noting, “It made me very excited and very nervous.”
“But I remember thinking, ‘Oh, no. This is a bad idea.’ I mean, he was my boss,” she said. When Kimmel quipped that he “didn’t have that thought,” his wife added, “No. The person in power usually doesn’t.”
“But I was very nervous about it. I thought it was a terrible idea and I was very skittish and I kept telling him, ‘I think this is a bad idea.’ And he kept saying, ‘It’s not a bad idea.’ And now we’ve been together [about 17 years],” she added.
Kimmel and McNearney, who now share daughter Jane and son Billy together, tied the knot in 2013.
