Since 2013, Jimmy Kimmel has been married to writer/producer Molly McNearney, who was a head writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for many years. But did you know this is the second marriage for the 54-year-old comedian? Jimmy’s first wife, Gina Maddy-Kimmel, was with the late-night talk show host for many years back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Here’s everything you need to know about Jimmy Kimmel’s ex-wife and why the couple split.
Gina And Jimmy Were College Sweethearts
Born on December 13, 1964, Gina Maddy met her husband-to-be while she was a communications and journalism student at Arizona State University. Jimmy Kimmel was also a student at the university, and the couple quickly became an item. They married in 1988, just as Jimmy was getting ready to embark on a career in radio.
Gina was by her husband’s side during his early years on the airwaves, which included co-hosting gigs on local radio stations in Seattle, Washington; Tampa, Florida; and Tucson, Arizona. Eventually, Jimmy landed at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, where he spent five years as “Jimmy The Sports Guy” on the popular Kevin and Bean morning radio show.
While Jimmy’s radio career was rising, he and Gina had two children—daughter Katie, born in 1991, and son Kevin, born in 1993. These kids are now grown and appear to be doing really well. Katie is a California-based artist who focuses on ceramic sculpture. She married musician Will Logsdon in September 2021.
Kevin has followed his dad’s footsteps into the entertainment world as an actor and crew member, with credits on shows such as Tosh.0, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Survivor, and Crank Yankers.
Unfortunately, Kimmel and Gina split in 2003 after nearly 14 years of marriage. At the time of their breakup, Kimmel had just left his gig on Comedy Central’s The Man Show to host his own late-night talk show on ABC, Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Other than the fact that Gina cited irreconcilable differences in her court filing, no official statement was made about the reason for their split, probably because Kimmel was nowhere near as famous back then as he is today.
Rumors Say Jimmy Cheated
While we don’t know for sure what lead to the collapse of Jimmy and Gina’s long marriage, some people have speculated that it was due to Kimmel’s burgeoning relationship with fellow comic, Sarah Silverman. The timing seems to match up—after knowing each other for years, Kimmel and Silverman started dating openly in 2003, not long after Kimmel’s divorce was final. Fox News even described the relationship as an “open secret” in Hollywood.
Of course, that relationship also didn’t last—after seven years of dating, Kimmel and Silverman broke up in 2009. While the two comedians are friends today, Kimmel admits that it took some time for them to reconnect after their split. “It definitely took some time,” he told Entertainment Tonight in a 2019 interview. “It was never like where we didn’t like each other, hated each other or anything like that. But it definitely took some time to be comfortable enough to be friends again.”
What Gina Maddy-Kimmel Is Up To Now
If there was a fallout between Kimmel and his ex-wife over his relationship with Silverman, it no longer appears to be a problem. The former couple worked together to co-parent their kids and appear to be respectful towards each other today.
Since their split, Gina has worked as a costume designer on TV movies such as Party Like the Rich and Famous and Party Like the Queen of France. In addition to costume work, the 57-year-old designer launched a vintage loungewear line called Maddy James in 2014. It’s unclear if the line is still active, as its official website no longer exists and its Etsy shop is no longer available.
We do know that Gina has found love again with partner Chris Jones. According to one of her Instagram posts, the pair has been together for over 18 years. He makes frequent appearances on her feed, and the couple appears to be very happy.
Gina is an avid Instagram user, frequently posting pics of her cats, her grown kids, and the many trips she takes with Jones.