Jimmy Kimmel Responds After Trump And Melania Call For ABC To Fire Him
4 hours ago
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said Monday that a joke he made about First Lady Melania Trump was being taken out of context, following calls from President Donald Trump and the first lady for ABC and its parent company Disney to fire him.
Kimmel addressed the controversy during the opening monologue of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, referring to a parody segment tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“It was not by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination,”
Kimmel said, adding that the comment was intended as a “very light roast” about the age difference between President Trump and his wife.
The remark in question, in which Kimmel said Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow,” sparked backlash from the president and first lady, who condemned the joke as “corrosive” and “beyond the pale.”
The dispute comes days after a violent incident at a Washington, D.C., event where President Trump and guests were evacuated following a shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. Authorities say the suspect, Cole Allen, breached a security checkpoint, fired at Secret Service agents, wounded one, and was later arrested.
Kimmel expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident, including the first lady, but rejected any connection between his earlier joke and the weekend’s violence.
ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s program in 2025 following prior controversy, after Federal Communications Commission officials warned broadcasters could face penalties over content concerns.
Trump has previously called for broadcasters to remove programs he has criticized, escalating tensions with major media networks.
Kimmel addressed the controversy during the opening monologue of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, referring to a parody segment tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“It was not by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination,”
Kimmel said, adding that the comment was intended as a “very light roast” about the age difference between President Trump and his wife.
The remark in question, in which Kimmel said Melania Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow,” sparked backlash from the president and first lady, who condemned the joke as “corrosive” and “beyond the pale.”
The dispute comes days after a violent incident at a Washington, D.C., event where President Trump and guests were evacuated following a shooting in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. Authorities say the suspect, Cole Allen, breached a security checkpoint, fired at Secret Service agents, wounded one, and was later arrested.
Kimmel expressed sympathy for those affected by the incident, including the first lady, but rejected any connection between his earlier joke and the weekend’s violence.
ABC briefly suspended Kimmel’s program in 2025 following prior controversy, after Federal Communications Commission officials warned broadcasters could face penalties over content concerns.
Trump has previously called for broadcasters to remove programs he has criticized, escalating tensions with major media networks.
