Trump, Melania Slam Jimmy Kimmel Over 'Expectant Widow' Joke Made Days Before White House Shooting
- Trump demands Jimmy Kimmel’s firing over joke about Melania Trump.
- Melania Trump calls Kimmel’s joke damaging and corrosive remarks.
- White House links divisive rhetoric to recent violence threats.
- Kimmel previously faced scrutiny for political satire comments.
US President Donald Trump on Monday slammed comedian Jimmy Kimmel and called for him to be fired after a controversial joke about First Lady Melania Trump, delivered days before a shooting scare at a high-profile Washington event.
The remark, made during a late-night monologue, drew sharp criticism from both the president and the first lady.
The Joke And Its Timing
Kimmel made the comment during a segment last week on Thursday, before the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington on Saturday which is being seen as an alleged bid to assasinate Trump.
The comedian, in his monologue, imagined hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Addressing the first lady in the hypothetical audience, he said, “Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
However, after the shooting incident, Kimmel is facing backlash over its comment’s tone and timing.
Trump Calls For Action Against Broadcaster
Responding on his Truth Social platform, Trump condemned the comment and urged action against the comedian.
“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,” Trump said.
He added, “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” referring to the network’s parent company.
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Melania Trump Issues Rare Public Rebuke
In a separate statement, First Lady Melania Trump also criticised Kimmel, describing the remarks as damaging.
Writing on X, she said, “monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
She further urged the broadcaster to act, adding, “Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
She also accused the host of avoiding accountability, stating, “A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”
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White House Links Rhetoric To Violence
In the aftermath of the shooting scare, the White House adopted a firmer tone, linking political rhetoric to rising threats.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The left-wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him has gotten multiple people hurt and killed, and it almost did so again this weekend.”
Leavitt added that there had been “systemic demonisation” of the president and argued that such portrayals contribute to violence.
“Nobody in recent years has faced more bullets and more violence than President Trump,” she said.
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She further stated, “Those who constantly, falsely label and slander the president as a fascist, as a threat to democracy, and compare him to Hitler to score political points, are fueling this kind of violence.”
Kimmel, a prominent late-night television host, has frequently been at the centre of debates surrounding political satire and free speech.
He was briefly suspended last year following pressure linked to comments about political violence, highlighting ongoing tensions between entertainers, media organisations, and political figures.