Trivia

Was in a car crash at age four that killed her 34-year-old mother, her three-year-old sister, and a 25-year-old cousin. She has used the tragedy as a motivation for her life.

She appeared in Sheryl Crow's music video "A Change Would Do You Good". (1997)

Received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1987).

Best friends with Norm MacDonald, Conan O'Brien, Will Ferrell, Connie Britton and Heather Graham.

Mother of Stella Chesnut and Nolan Chesnut.

Wore an off-white "garden dress" designed by SNL wardrobe department head Dale Richards in her wedding to Fritz Chestnut on May 29, 2004.

She studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.

Molly and Fritz welcomed their second child, a boy named Nolan Shannon Chestnut. (March 15, 2005)

Both of her parents were of Irish descent. Her maternal grandparents were born in Achill, Mayo, Ireland, with her grandfather being from Cloghmore and her grandmother from Ballinglanna.

Molly and Fritz welcomed their first child, a girl named Stella Shannon Chestnut. (September 28, 2003)

Her mother was a librarian and her father was the youngest of 10 siblings.

She is from the same city in Ohio as Paul Newman, Fred Willard and David Wain. Shaker Heights, Ohio is also the name of the place that the Cleaver family was from in the early sitcom "Leave It to Beaver".

Became engaged to Fritz Chesnut, an artist. (March 2003)

Presented at the 2000 GLAAD Media Awards for films and television shows that accurately portray gay and lesbian characters.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6765 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on June 22, 2026. Her best friends Will Ferrell and Connie Britton were guest speakers at the ceremony.

Has been best friends since the fifth grade with George Cheeks, chief executive officer of CBS Entertainment Group. They appeared in a theater production of "The Wizard of Oz".

Attended and graduated from Hawken School in Chesterland, Ohio where she was classmates with actress Greer Goodman. (June 1983)

She was the celebrity spokeswoman for LendingTree, an online lending marketplace headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. (2022)