Jimmy Kimmel on Monday pushed back against criticism of a joke about First Lady Melania Trump, saying it had been misconstrued and was not a call to assassinate the president.
In his opening monologue, Kimmel described the line as a light roast about the age gap between the president, who is almost 80, and Melania, who is younger than he is. He said the remark was not, by any measure, an invitation to violence.
The quip — made during a parody segment in which Kimmel pretended to perform at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — described Melania as having ‘a glow like an expectant widow.’ That comment, delivered days before a shooting at the dinner, prompted strong reactions from the president and others.
President Donald Trump, for a second time, urged ABC and its parent company Walt Disney to fire Kimmel, accusing the host of inciting violence. Melania Trump wrote on X that people like Kimmel should not be allowed to enter homes in the evenings to spread hate. Trump called the joke a ‘despicable call to violence’ on Truth Social and said it was beyond the pale.
Kimmel said he agreed hateful and violent rhetoric should be rejected and suggested the first step was a conversation with the president. He expressed sympathy for Melania and other attendees who experienced the traumatic incident, and he rejected the notion that a joke aired three days earlier had any effect on what happened.
The dispute is part of a broader pattern of tensions between the Trump administration and late-night hosts. The president has frequently urged networks to drop programs critical of him and has pushed regulators to take action against broadcasters he deems unfair.
In September, the head of the Federal Communications Commission publicly pressured broadcasters to pull Kimmel’s show after comments Kimmel made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ABC briefly suspended Kimmel after that incident, and FCC chair Brendan Carr warned networks that airing the host could lead to fines or even loss of broadcast licenses.
Carr’s comments drew pushback from the entertainment industry and lawmakers. Republican Senator Ted Cruz compared the threat to intimidation by organized crime. In November, Trump suggested the FCC should move to revoke licenses of Disney‑owned ABC stations after an ABC News correspondent questioned Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
On Sunday, the president also criticized CBS journalist Norah O’Donnell on 60 Minutes after she read portions of a statement that authorities say was written by the suspected shooter. The excerpts included charged language about the president without naming him, and Trump called the broadcast disgraceful.
The exchange highlights ongoing clashes over free expression, press coverage and where to draw the line between satire and dangerous rhetoric.