Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is under fire after a joke about US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, made on April 23, resurfaced following an attack during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25. However, Kimmel later defended himself and clarified that there was no connection between the joke and the incident.
The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC aired a parody of the upcoming dinner on April 23, saying, “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania—so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
Two days later, a gunman opened fire outside the ballroom where the dinner was being held. The incident caused chaos, with the President, the First Lady, and other officials evacuated swiftly. The gunman—Cole Tomas Allen—was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
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Defending his joke, Kimmel clarified that there was no connection between his remarks and the incident. Trump called for his dismissal in a message to broadcaster ABC, describing the joke as a “despicable call to violence,” while Melania also urged the broadcaster to take action.
While expressing sympathy for what the president, Melania, and others present went through, Kimmel questioned if “a joke I made three days ago before this dinner had any effect on anything that happened.” He clarified that the remark referred to the age difference between Trump and the Melania.
“Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants, as are you, as am I, and as are all of us because, under the First Amendment, we as Americans have a right to free speech,” Kimmel said Monday night on his show.
Addressing the first lady, Kimmel added, “I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do, and I think a great place to start dialing that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it.”
Kimmel earlier faced backlash over remarks following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr urged stations to drop his show. ABC and major station owners had briefly suspended it too.
