April 28, 2026 / 2:31 AM EDT / CBS/AP
Jimmy Kimmel issued a response Monday after Donald and Melania Trump urged ABC to fire him over a joke he made last week that described the first lady as having “the glow of an expectant widow.”
The line was part of a Thursday night segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live in which Kimmel pretended to perform a comedy bit ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Two nights later, the dinner was disrupted when a man armed with guns and knives attempted to enter the Washington ballroom where the Trumps and many of the country’s political leaders had gathered.
Melania Trump posted on social media, “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate… Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.” President Trump echoed that stance on his Truth Social account, calling the joke a “despicable call to violence” and demanding that “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
Kimmel addressed the criticism in his Monday night monologue, saying the remark was intended as a mild roast about the couple’s age difference and insisting it was not a call for violence. He said the joke referenced the fact that “he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am” and argued it cannot reasonably be construed as an assassination threat. “They know that,” he added.
He reiterated his long record speaking out against gun violence and expressed sympathy for those who endured the frightening incident at the dinner. Kimmel said he understood that the first lady experienced stress because of what happened and said he agreed that violent and hateful rhetoric should be rejected. He suggested the Trumps could start dialing down such rhetoric themselves, noting, “I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
Kimmel also stressed that while Americans have the right to free speech, he was sorry people at the dinner went through a traumatic experience and questioned whether a joke made three days earlier could have influenced the attacker’s actions.
CBS News contacted ABC for comment.
This episode is not the first public clash between Kimmel and President Trump. Last September, Kimmel was pulled from the air for several nights after conservatives, including Mr. Trump, criticized his remarks following the shooting involving conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. At that time, Kimmel said he did not intend to blame any broad group for the actions of a troubled individual and acknowledged that his comments had offended some.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned Thursday’s joke, saying it echoed a pattern of rhetoric from some Democrats and media figures that she argued has “helped to legitimize this violence.” She asked rhetorically, “Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?” though there was no clear evidence Kimmel was referring to violence.
The National Religious Broadcasters association filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission seeking an inquiry into ABC. NRB president Troy Miller said when influential voices joke about death or treat political opponents as disposable, it contributes to a culture in which violence can seem thinkable to unstable individuals.
Separately, late-night host Stephen Colbert, another frequent critic of Mr. Trump, is set to end his CBS show next month.
Caroline Linton and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.