Jimmy Kimmel rejects White House criticism over Melania widow joke
The first lady hit out at the comedian's joke as 'hateful and violent'
Jimmy Kimmel has defended a joke in which he referred to first lady Melania Trump as an “expectant widow” just days before a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Listen to this article
Melania slammed the sketch, which went to air last Thursday, as “hateful and violent”, and ABC faced calls to sack the comedian.
Just three days later, a shooting incident occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC, which was attended by the President and his wife.
The attack reportedly targeted members of the Trump administration, according to authorities.
Kimmel has been quick to defend the joke, claiming it was a “light roast” about the couple's 23-year age difference.
During the sketch, the comedian had said, "Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow."
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the shooting, the comedian insisted that the joke was "a very light roast joke about the fact that he's [President Trump] almost 80 and she's younger than I am".
He went on, "It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination, and they know that, I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular".
"I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I think a great place to start to dial that back is having a conversation with your husband about it."
Melania took to X on Monday to write: "people like Kimmel shouldn't have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate".
She wrote: "His monologue about my family isn't comedy - his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America... How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel's atrocious behavior at the expense of our community."
The US President shared his appreciation for those who were "incensed by Kimmel's" remarks, describing them as a "call to violence", in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
He wrote: "[T]his is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC".
This is not the first time the comedian has ruffled feathers in the Trump administration. Last September, Kimmel made jokes about the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
The comedian said that Trump’s fans were trying to “score political points” from the murder, leading to him being temporarily taken off air. He was reinstated the following week.
In response, Kimmel accepted that some people were “upset” and felt his comments had been “ill-timed or unclear or maybe both”.
Following last weekend’s shooting, footage of Kimmel’s latest comments resurfaced on social media, leading critics to once again call for the comedian to be taken off air, accusing him of encouraging political violence.
The US President described the shooting as a “rather traumatic experience” for his wife.
The suspect has since been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, apprehended and charged with attempting to assassinate the president, as well as weapon offences. He did not enter a plea.